Fabula Nova Crystallis
by skye soldier
Summary: The story of Final Fantasy XIII. When Lightning and her companions start their adventure, what obstacles will they come across? What caused her amnesia? New chapter up! Rated T for fantasy action violence
1. Prologue

Final Fantasy XIII:

Fabula Nova Crystallis

(New Tale of the Crystals)

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Final Fantasy. I have nothing to do with it, just another crazed fan obsessed with finding more out and creating a story everyone can enjoy.

More to come soon!

_**Prologue**_

An adventure filled with mysticism and friendship, and strife in the name of destiny. The world calls for change. The crystal, a symbol of harmony, chose a person to whom they would entrust destiny…to lead the world. She was chosen. Chosen to be the enemy of mankind, who will bring ruin to the world. Chosen by the crystal to bring this new era of change, Lightning attempts to overthrow the government from which she was cast.

Cocoon, for many, is the ideal state of life. Or at least it was. Prosperity reigned upon it's inhabitants. Powered by the crystal, they were given everything they would ever need: machines, magic, and other living beings. The citizens of Cocoon were thankful, but soon became scared of the threat posed from within. The people of Cocoon grew scornful, outlawing any suspicious personae to the world below: Pulse.

Lightning, being one such person, has witnessed this resulting injustice firsthand that has begun to overtake the world of Cocoon. After befriending many of Pulse's inhabitants, she has begun to realize her destiny.

And so the story begins…


	2. Cocoon and Pulse

_**Final Fantasy XIII:**_

_**Fabula Nova Crystallis**_

_(The New Tale of the Crystals)_

_Disclaimer: I do not own final fantasy, only a couple characters and names._

_CHAPTER ONE_

Cocoon. The city of peace, of harmony. All the humans showed kindness and love towards one another, helping those in need. There were many things that happened in the city, from the gardeners, who grew flowers and crops in small fields, to the Prime Minister, who did his best to keep the city in it's best shape. Everyone helped out and did their part to keep up the city that kept them so safe, away from Pulse, the tainted world below.

Pulse. A place of pure evil. Or so the history books said. It was said to be full of evil creatures that feasted on the flesh of humans, creatures that hungered for whatever they could get a hold of. The world was controlled by a single dark crystal, the one that tainted Pulse, that made all the creatures run mad. It was similar to the crystal that had created Cocoon. It made a world where humans could run free and stay safe.

Cocoon was protected, but the humans took precautions. They set up a very complicated and detailed military force, one that could fight off the army's of Pulse. In it, many young men, and even women, sacrificed their free lives to dedicate their lives to their world. There were many respected men and women who had risen in rank, who had spent years protecting. The head of the group was a man named Roi. His pencil straight posture and muscular arms had kept him alive through many battles. His eyes darted cautiously side to side, up and down, while he was walking, taking extra precautions in keeping the world safe. His black hair, which was cut so that it was out of his eyes, was slicked back in a very professional manner. His left eye, the one that searched carefully for every little flaw, stayed uncovered, while his right eye was shielded with an eye patch that he was given after he lost it in a battle against Pulse. On his coat was a badge that signified his loss in the battle, a veterans badge. A purple heart.

Roi's right hand man was a woman named Lightning. She was strict, to say the least. She ruled her troop with an iron fist, fixing every flaw. In a way, you could say she was not a very sweet person. She had no tolerance for whiners, and dealt with them very quickly. Her face was very soft, the only soft thing about her. Her strawberry pink hair was long and wavy, her nose long bangs hanging to the right of her face, and her ice blue eyes were almost always squinted to see through the sun. When she stared, it felt as if she were staring into your very soul, searching you for your weakness, so she could use it to break you down. Her arms were toned, but not muscular. Never the less, she was one person you would not want to mangle with. She could take almost any opponent down with a swipe of her modernized gun blade. Her clothes were light and comfortable, the armor on her shoulder containing two thin yellow stripes, signifying her occupation.

Together they ruled their section of the army with a tight grip. Once in, you couldn't back out. They ran their men through a harsh series of training exercises, anywhere from grueling obstacle courses to mental training such as tests and tutorials on their fighting abilities. They were well known and respected in the large, floating city of Cocoon, and no one got in their way.

Their law was strict on the people who lived there. There were many rules, but the two that were heavily followed through with were that they were not to attack one another, and two, anyone seen with members of Pulse were banished to the tainted world below. And that was the

truth. Everyone kept an eye out for suspicious acts, and if they saw anything, they rushed to a nearby soldier (able to be found by the gray, yellow and black armor they wore) and told them every bit of information they had on that person.

Yes, things were rough, but as long as they obeyed the rules, no harm was sent to them. Unfortunately, many people did not listen, and were banished. No one ever heard from them again, and the banished ones hardly ever survived the punishment.

In the military arena, Lightning patrolled her troops progresses, tested them, asked them to show her their gun from the inside, then put it back together. She walked along the line of men and women who served under her, checking on them. As she walked, one man along the line whispered to another: "I'm so tired. She should really let us rest."

At hearing those words, Lightning spun around, her eyes narrowed in on the man who said that and walked sternly over to him. "We don't rest until we are on the ground, unable to move. Do you understand?" She asked coldly. He moved his body back a little bit, but nodded, his head bobbing up and down. She turned to continue her patrol, leaving the man frightened. His mind raged, screaming 'You shouldn't have joined'. He returned to his training, going as quickly as he could to keep out of trouble.

Lightning stood in front of her troops' training grounds, watching them carefully. She knew that they had a problem with being under her, but they were out of order. She needed to talk to Roi about this, see what he had to say. So many men and women had died in their past battles that she wanted them to be as strong as possible. They had no right to judge her the way they did.

Her thoughts ceased as a hand rested on her shoulder. She turned her head to face behind her, her bright eyes coming in contact with Roi's. She looked back to her troop, crossing her arms. "What do you want?" She asked, annoyance in her voice. Though she needed to talk to him, she didn't want to admit that she was having trouble controlling her men.

He laughed a little, then moved to stand next to her. "I saw the little episode that occurred a minute ago." He scratched his arm with his gloved hand. Since he and Lightning were higher ranked, they were not permitted to wear the armor that normal soldiers were forced to. They were able to wear their own clothing, if they wished, but were required to wear a small metal shoulder pad with the two yellow stripes that signified their rank in the military force.

Taking advantage of that luxury, Roi and Lightning wore their average clothing, Roi in a black, sleeveless, turtleneck vest that zipped up, black dress pants, and his army boots, and Lightning in her brown turtleneck vest, a sleeveless white, longer vest that was unzipped to her chest, revealing the brown turtleneck, and a brown skirt, with tall tan boots. They both wore the shoulder armor in exchange for their uniform.

She sighed. "He wished to rest before completing the training day." She told him. He chuckled, causing Lightning to flare up.

"What's so funny about that?" She asked rudely. "There's nothing funny about not listening to your commanding officer." She burst. A large smile spread across his face, only making her temper worse.

"I know you mean well, but you need to lighten up. If you don't, no one will join us again. You're well respected, but you work them too hard." He stated. She calmed down a little.

"You've seen it. Too many people died in our last battle. That can't happen again, and if I release them just a little, I'll lose men and women who weren't meant to die so early." She explained. He glanced at her. Even though she seemed cruel, and maybe she was a bit too strict, she cared about those under her. She was not a very kind person, but he figured that somewhere underneath that tough skin of hatred was a solid coating of care, of love. He knew that something had happened long ago to harden her, but he could never find out what it was.

He cleared his throat. "You have a point, but you need to understand a large part of battle is losing lives. There's no way that you can get away from that. No matter what you do, someone is going to be killed, and with you controlling them like this, they'll have no joy in their life before they die."

The strawberry haired woman turned to face him. "You train your troop the way you think is right, and I'll train mine the way I think is right." She scoffed, then walked toward them. "Take a break. Ten minutes." She said, then left to go to her quarters.

Roi watched her for a moment, then shook his head, his black hair bobbing with it, turned to leave back to his men. He grabbed his water bottle and chugged down a large gulp, then removed the bottle from his mouth, using his hand to wipe the excess water off. He stared at his group of soldiers for a minute, pulled over the ice chest from the corner near him, and opened the lid, dropping it right beside the chest. He blew the whistle, signaling them to pay attention.

"Water break." He announced, then sat down to talk with his soldiers, creating a stronger bond with each of them.

A young boy that had joined not even a week ago came over to him. His hands were shaking, and his face was filled with worry. He looked at Roi, trying to make eye contact with him, his eyes continually getting shy and looking away quickly. "Sir?" He finally said. "When are we going to battle?"

Roi smiled and shrugged. "Don't know. Pulse is staying pretty calm right now. Whenever they start acting strange, I'll let you know, alright?" He assured him. The boy nodded, then saluted, heading back to his post. Roi closed his eyes and thought. Pulse was closer than everyone thought. The Admiral was on his way, but he didn't want to create and aura of chaos just yet. Not until they were ready for it. His eyes opened again and he continued to watch them.

Inside her quarters, Lightning sat on her bed, her head in her hands, thoughts raging through her mind. She didn't used to be like this, and sometimes she missed her old self. She used to be kind, nice. She had no clue what the big deal was with the army, until her best friend was taken…

"No!" She yelled at herself. "Wipe it out of your mind." She stood up and looked around. She couldn't be reminded of it. Just a bad memory that would pass soon enough. Besides, if he hadn't have left, then she wouldn't be where she was now, a respected commander.

She sat back down and thought for a moment, her mind arguing with it's alter ego. 'Think of it.' A side yelled. 'You need to get it off your chest.'

'No, it'll only bring un-needed hurt back.' The other screamed. Her mind was in pain, her head ached with all the confusion. Eventually, she pulled out a folder containing photos of family. She opened it up slowly, as if she were unsure of what she wanted to do. She carefully flipped the pages, acting as if she expected something to jump out at her.

Finally, she found the page. A picture from long ago. It was taken somewhere around eight or nine years ago, when she was sixteen. Next to her stood a boy the same age, maybe a year older, with blond hair and blue eyes. They both looked happy as ever. She remembered that day very well. It was one of the best days of her life. They were the best of friends, but one day he disappeared. She never found out what happened to him, but her parents said that he was murdered by those of Pulse. That's how she ended up signing up for the military. To avenge her friend.

She quickly put the picture away, feeling a large, powerful surge of sadness sweep over her body. The bed creaked as she stood again, this time heading out the door, slamming it shut. The doorframe shook from the force, and many people looked over at her in curiosity. She ignored them and went on to end the break.

Two hours had passed, and Lightning was now in the exercise room, working extra hard. She always did this when she suffered a weak moment, whether it be physically or mentally. She forced herself to keep going on the running machine, making her body outdo itself. Her lungs screamed for air, her heart felt as if it were going to burst from all the blood flowing frequently through it. Her legs ached, the bones feeling as if they would snap in half. Anger surged inside of her, fueling her workout. Her face was concentrated, her eyes gazing off into the distance. She was angry at how weak she had been. She wasn't strong enough, not if she wanted to avenge her friend.

The anger released itself as she picked up her water bottle and shot it across the room, slamming her fist into the machine, hitting the off button. She got off of it, watching as the now empty bottle of water rolled across the ground, the water now dripping down the walls. She heard a soft clapping behind her and turned around, annoyed to see Roi standing against the door.

"Nice job. You sure showed it who's boss." He laughed. She glared at him, giving him a silent message to back down. He took the hint and wiped the grin off of his face. "What's on your mind?" He asked, concerned. His eyes were dim with worry, the shine faded.

Lightning looked back at the water dripping down the wall. She closed her eyes. "Nothing." She replied. Roi shook his head.

"Nobody takes their anger out on a water bottle and a running machine." He stated plainly, his voice giving off a know-it-all aura. She glanced over at him, only moving her eyes.

"When I say nothing, it means nothing you need to know." She said, then went over to the bottle and picked it up, tossing it over her shoulder to the trash can. As she left, Roi looked down.

"It's about him, isn't it." He said. She stopped at the door and looked back.

"How do you know about it?" She turned her body around 180 degrees to face him again, to look him in the eye.

He held out a folder, the one from her room. He put it in her hands, expecting a smack to the face. He braced himself, giving his face time to prepare it's nerves. It never came. He sighed. Instead, she glared a death glare at him, making him wish that he had been slapped.

"Who let you into my room?" She asked, putting the folder under her arm.

He held up a lock pick. "Me."

This time she did slap him, hard, right across the left cheek. It felt like someone had taken millions of needles and stabbed them into his cheek. He faced her again, only to see the back of her.

"If you ever get into my room again, I'll make sure you end up down in Pulse for the rest of your pathetic life, do you understand?" She threatened. He sighed, irritated.

"You cant do that." He informed her. "Not unless I'm disobeying the rules."

She turned her head to the side, peering at him through the corner of one eye. "Then I'll make sure you disobey the rules." She said as she left the room. Roi watched her suspiciously as she walked away, a small smirk crossing his face. "Not if I get around to it first."

He took out com link and pressed a button. He waited for an answer, going over the results he had found in her folder. After two or so minutes, someone picked up.

"Hello?" A man's voice called. Roi smiled.

"Admiral? It's Roi, military leader 23. I have a traitor to announce." He told him. There was an amused breath on the other end. "I'd like you to meet her in a meeting, though. I have evidence."

"Very well." The Admiral said, clicking a pen. "When?"

"Tomorrow at nine."


	3. Betrayal

_**Final fantasy:**_

_**Fabula nova crystallis**_

**_Disclaimer: I do not own any of Final Fantasy XIII, except for the Admiral and Roi, who are of my own imagination. The plot is based off of what I believe FFXIII to be._**

(Hey again, hope you enjoyed the other two chapters. This time, however, I will not post another chapter after this one until more people have started **reviewing**. I need more reviews on this. Thanks go to my three fans on this story; **galiantchaos: **thanks for being the first to read and respond to it. **KazeRose:** for being the first to write a longer review for me that led to a converstation :), and finally **Nobody Special** (who is special, by the way) for appreciating what I do so much. THIS CHAPTER IS FOR YOU GUYS!! Tell more people to review. - Skye)

_Chapter 2_

The room smelled of stale air and old food as Roi took a seat in one of the multiple rolling black, leather chairs at a rather long dark oak table. The room was pretty well lit up for hardly ever being used. The plain white walls, however, made him feel as if he were in an asylum office, waiting to allow a patient into the facility. He shoved the thought of that aside, deciding to focus on the coming event: meeting with the Admiral. He needed to keep calm. After all, this is the first time he's actually met the man in person. No need to give him a bad first impression.

Roi swung around in the chair, holding the copies he made of Lightning's folder tightly in his hands, as if trying not to let any information fall out. His eyes scanned the folder once more, going over everything in his head again and again to make it perfect. Finally, the big doors swung open, revealing a tall, muscular man with a big patch of gray stubble under his chin, matching the gray tuft of hair on his balding head. He wore his leaders uniform with his many medals hanging on the pockets. His dark brown eyes darted around the room, finally resting on Roi, then softened up. He nodded.

"You Roi?" He asked, sitting in the chair on the very end. Roi nodded, handling the folder very carefully, running his hand up and down the smooth paper container. He set it on the table and slid it forward to the older man. The Admiral looked at it questioningly, moving his gaze to Roi every once in a while as he went through it's contents slowly, examining each piece of information in it. Picture after picture, document after document.

Roi cracked his neck and sighed. "Those documents are diary entries I found on her bedside table. She seems to be talking about dreams she's been having." He informed. The admiral took out a specific document and set it aside from the others, putting everything else back inside the manila folder. He examined it once more, then glanced up at Roi.

"What about this one?" He asked, sliding it back to the young commander. Roi looked over it, reading it's contents.

'Entry 22 - Dream number 13

The sky was dark, and the air was cold. I don't know where it was, but it smelled like dead bodies, like the end of a fierce battle. Finally, my eyes opened and I saw glaciers as tall as the Prime Ministers office building. My limbs hurt, but I somehow managed to get up and walk my way to the top of a hill. At the very top, I saw one single body, that of my old friend. I leaned over and checked his pulse. He was dead, no pulse, no heat. A cold, limp body. I looked over the hillside, only to find a battlefield of dead bodies at least a mile long, as far as I could see. I felt ashamed, for some reason, like I made a mistake that I could've had the chance to fix…'

Roi cocked an eyebrow and looked at the Admiral. "See, that's what I'm talking about. She's had so many weird dreams that she never talks about. She's always quiet, and lately she hasn't even been talking to me about things bothering her. She always does." He leaned his elbows against the hard wood table and rested his chin in his hands. He didn't wish to tell him what she had threatened the day before, how serious she had been. Somehow he had the feeling he'd have to say it no matter what.

The admiral tilted his head to the side, his eyes fixed on Roi. "Is that all?" He asked, eyeing the young man, who lifted his head a bit to look at him. His eyes dulled with the inner turmoil that was raging inside of him. He shook his head.

"No." He cleared his throat, taking a drink from his cup of water. "Yesterday she, um," He paused, thinking of how he should announce it. ",Yesterday I walked in as she was running on the machine, and watched her temper flare up. She threw the water bottle at the wall, then turned around. I had spoken to her about her old friend, she asked how I knew. I admitted to sneaking in and reading her personal things, but she took it away and said that next time something like that happened, she'd personally make sure that I was branded a traitor and sent to…Pulse." He gulped, feeling the guilt of tattling. However, this grabbed the Admirals attention.

He then got into the conversation a little bit more, situating himself in his seat so that he could hear him better. "Why would she do that?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

"I don't know. I think that maybe she just didn't want anyone to kick her out of her spot here in the military." Roi thought. "Maybe she knew that if anyone found out about her dreams, that she'd be sent to Pulse."

"Bingo." Admiral said, leaning back in his chair again. "But she would've gotten worse with time." He thought silently for a moment, crafting a plan in his head. Roi waited out the moment, thinking about what it would be like if he had waited to check things out. After a while, the admiral opened his eyes, looking him in the eye. "No one else can know this. Pulse is close by. Nobody has been told because we need a plan of action. But right now, we're worrying about Lightning. So during the battle, make sure she's knocked out, whether it be by Pulse or by us. We'll put her on the transport and drop her off down there. If she manages to find her way to the sacred ruins in her dreams, then we'll have our elite troops prepared to take care of the problem." He stated. Roi's eyes widened.

"We're not just going to talk to her?" He asked. They usually took that step first, but this time, they were skipping it.

"We can't afford to have her around here. She's dangerous." He explained. "Have the troops trained by next weekend. That's when we go to battle." He got up and reached for the door.

"Sir, you're supposed to meet her first, learn more about her. Law says we confront them before we do anything." He reminded. The admiral stopped in his tracks and paused all movement to his body, his hand still clutching the door handle. He let out a breath of air, sitting back down.

"Very well. I'll chat for a while." He agreed.

The two of them spoke of many things as they waited, anywhere from the average work day, the people of Cocoon, battle strategies, and even favorite foods (Roi's being seafood, and the admiral favoring steak and chicken).

At around half past eight, Lightning walked through the doors, right on schedule. She glanced at Roi, but immediately changed her view to the admiral, as if seeing him were a terrible curse. "Admiral." She greeted. He looked up at her and nodded in her acknowledgement.

"Lightning. Take a seat, please." He offered. She looked at the seat, then lowered herself into it, situating to a way that was comfortable for her.

Roi frowned, seeing as Lightning didn't wish to talk to him. He smiled at her. "Hello." She glanced at him and slightly bobbed her head at him, then continued to ignore his friendly gestures.

The Admiral tapped his fingers on the table, rolling his thoughts around in his head a few times. "Roi was telling me how you've been a bit more depressed lately. He's concerned about you, as am I." He said. Lightning glared at Roi lightly.

"He did, did he?" Her ice blue eyes growing even colder than ice itself.

"We want to help you. Let us inside. Tell us what's wrong." Admiral said. She shook her head.

"There's nothing wrong with me. I've been tired lately. It's been hard keeping the troops prepared." She said softly, but in her normal stern voice.

Roi laughed. "You've been more than tired. I can tell when thoughts take you over. Your eyes get all glazed over and dim, and you don't pay attention to what your men and women are doing."

She sighed and stood up. "There's absolutely nothing to worry about. I'm fine." She peered over at Roi. "And I'd like you to leave this subject alone from now on."

He looked away, staring down at the floor. He couldn't look her in the eyes when she was like this. It made him rather be in a lose - lose battle.

She finally left the room, allowing him to look back up and face the Admiral, who simply shrugged a little. "Did that go very well, or should I start plans now?"

The black haired young man sighed, then got up to leave. "Prepare it. I'll make sure she knows nothing about it." He opened the door.

"Roi." The Admiral called. Roi looked over his shoulder. "I know this is hard for you, she's a good friend to you, isn't she?" He asked.

He simply shrugged and left the room, walking down the hall as if he had no care in the world, yet he couldn't get over the fact that his best friend would be leaving him forever. Either way that it had gone down, one of them would've been leaving, and he couldn't afford to be that person.

As he turned the corner, he saw out of the corner of his eye the bright color of Lightning's hair. He moved his gaze to her, surprised in a way to see her there. She was propped up against the wall, her arms crossed, her eyes closed. She looked upset.

"You couldn't trust me, could you?" She asked, already knowing the answer. He let out an exasperated breath.

"And you can't leave this alone, can you?" He argued back. She rolled her eyes.

"I do leave it alone, and you always bring it back into play." She replied, standing closer to him. "I want to be left alone. Do not get into my personal belongings again." She said, then started to leave. She turned her head toward him again. "And that includes my well-being as well."

He shook his head as she left, ignoring the fact that this was probably the last time he would ever talk to her outside of battle. He tried to push that thought out of his head as he went back to his room, forcing himself to sleep, pushing all of the thoughts out of his head, imagining the running water of the serene gardens near the Prime Minister's house. The quiet sound of the fountains running all around the gardens, feeling the soft green grass underneath him. As these images ran through him, he soon fell into a deep sleep.

THE NEXT DAY…NEAR SUNSET…

Every man and woman in the military stood ready at the gates of the city, a hundred people stationed at each entryway. Pulse was merely minutes away, all the civilians silently tucked away in the safety cells below ground, the Prime Minister among them. Everything was left up to the Admiral, Roi, and Lightning when it came to these matters. Each of them were stationed with a group of a hundred, the Admiral on the South end, Lightning at the East end, and Roi at the West end. No gate was made at the North end, for that would've been too near the sacred ruins on Pulse.

They waited patiently for the army to reach them, many of the men anxious to fight. Lightning corrected them anytime the moved an inch or took their eyes off of the gate. Roi, who was deep in thought, didn't say a thing, and the Admiral stayed focused on the incoming flying vehicle on it's way over.

On the East end, a man looked at Lightning. "Are we going to survive?" He asked.

She glanced at him and thought. "Yes." She said, a slight smile on her face. He smiled, taking in the first time she'd ever been nice to him. He had always known that she was just a strict leader, but he never saw the soft side of her…until that night.

The moment was interrupted by the hum of the Pulse transportation getting closer. All of the troops backed up as they saw a missile launcher eject from the vehicle, aiming at the gates. A missile shot from the cannon, speeding toward them at an amazing speed. They could see the air being sliced by the sharp end of the large bullet.

"Get back!" Lightning yelled, taking several steps back, leading her troops back. The heavy missile hit the gate, exploding into many pieces that flew in every direction. A shard skimmed past her, creating a small thin line on her arm that soon began letting small amounts of blood out. She ignored the pain, instead focusing her eyes on the large, deep cloud of dark brown dust that now blocked their view from seeing their enemy. There was the anticipated silence just before battle, the silence that Lightning had grown fond of. Everyone was hushed as they listened closely, all ears tuned to every sound available around them.

After what seemed like hours, there was the distant sound of many footsteps and Lightning slowly unsheathed her gun blade, cueing the rest to do the same. Her eyes darted back and forth between each side of the gate, searching for any clues. As she relaxed a little to re-grip the handle on her blade, the armies of Pulse launched themselves at them, their covered faces hiding the identity of some of the humans. Many of them were creatures that had adapted to their world and there were some who had always been able to walk upright and fight. They had full body armor on, just like Cocoons soldiers, however, the helmets were more pointy, more spiked, and the body armor was black instead of yellow, gray, and white.

Lightning dodged a leaping creature with it's claws reached toward her. She swung her sword at it, knocking it out of the way. She stood at the front of the line of soldiers, accompanied by many of her students. Together, they fought off most of them, though it didn't do much good. Many more vehicles made their way over to each side of Cocoon, drowning all of Cocoons soldiers with those from Pulse.

Sweat dotted Lightning's forehead, mixing with all of the loose dust and dirt that had attached itself to her body as the fight went on. Blood from the enemies and a bit from herself soon joined the collection as the hours passed. By the time two hours had passed by, Cocoons troops were half depleted. Lightning, feeling anger at the amount of her soldiers Pulse had taken lives from, jumped high up into the air, clicking the two black buttons on her left thumb and middle finger together, creating a large purple dome around herself. She plummeted to the ground, the purple dome colliding with the mass of ground and men, both Cocoon and Pulse. All the bodies landed against each other, only a few of them dying.

While they were weak, Lightning took them down, helped by her men and women. Finally, they finished off their sector. Lightning wiped the sweat and grime off of her forehead then took out her communicator.

"Sector 2 is taken care of." She said into the microphone. Roi's voice crackled over the other end.

"Alright. I'll be there momentarily. Glad to hear you again." He replied, then shut it off.

Lightning waited patiently, worn out by the powerful blast she had produced. Each time she used it, it drained her energy a little more. This thought was building itself up inside of her. What would happen to her if she used it too much? Would she die? She sat on a piece of the wall that had been blown off as she thought, but was interrupted by Roi's voice.

"Hey."

She stood and looked over at him. "Hey."

He gulped as he walked behind her, looking around as if he were observing the damage. "The wall will need repairs. We took quite a beating around the perimeter, so we'll need to fix that." She said, going over to the wall itself. Roi fought back tears as he grabbed a thick pipe that had come out of the wall, walking over to her. "This side got the worst of it, I thin-" Her thoughts were interrupted by the heavy crashing of the metal pipe against her skull. She was thrown against the broken gate by the impact, a piece of it slicing her side. She held her head, staring at Roi, who motioned for someone to hold her down.

"Sorry, this is Admiral's orders. This isn't personal." He stated as he swung the pipe back, swiftly slamming it into the side of her head. Lightning fell into a semi-unconscious state as her vision blackened and she fell on her side. She heard the last words from Roi that she would hear for a while, cruelty from the only one she considered a friend, and she fell unconscious…


	4. Arrival

**_((Hey again! Thanks for your reviews, though I didn't get as many as I had hoped... :( Oh well, it's an unreleased game. Thanks go to KazeRose and another anonymous reviewer! KazeRose, I think that this whole story is going to be for you, since you have been so dedicated. :) Here's chapter 3!))_**

P.S: REVIEW!!

**Chapter 3**

Roi dragged in the limp body of Lightning, who had a large bump on the side of her head and a few cuts and bruises that had been added to the collection from the broken gate she'd landed on. Roi had a heartless look on his face, one that was covering up his sadness inside. His hair was dusty and ratted from battle, and his arms were cut up from the fights with Pulse's army.

He shoved open the door to the Prime Ministers office, where both the Prime Minister and the Admiral were waiting for him. They looked over and smiled as they saw the sight that they had been waiting to see.

The admiral went over and put a hand on Roi's shoulder, picking up one of Lightning's arms, pulling her over his own shoulder. He glanced at the Prime Minister, awaiting his signal. After a few minutes, the admiral sighed. "Shall I take care of her yet?" He asked impatiently.

The Prime Minister, who had been deep in thought, shot his eyes open, gazing over at him. "Oh, sorry. Yes, you may." He said, somewhat hesitant, his voice trying to shut itself off before he finished his sentence. The admiral, whose name was unknown to all but the Prime Minister, walked out of the room, grabbing Roi's shirt and pulling him along with him.

Outside, the admiral stopped and stared. His eyes scanned the area, his gaze surveying all the damage that had occurred earlier that night. They didn't have much time until Lightning woke up, so he carried her, followed by Roi, to the loading dock, where they loaded her body up into a train that would go down to the world below. He gently set her down on a chair in the train, then turned to leave. He squinted in the lights of the fires all throughout the city, obtaining the images in his photographic memory. He peered over at the captain and nodded, telling him to depart.

Roi circled around to retire for the night, pausing to listen as the train took off. He let out a breath of air and wandered off, back to his room…

_**An Hour Later…**_

The pulsating pain in Lightning's head and the feeling of a mix of soft green and dried brown grass woke her up instantly. Her eyes shot open, skimming over her environment. It was unfamiliar, and that scared her, the only thing she had ever admitted to herself that she was afraid of. She sat up and held her head with her hand, trying to steady the dizziness, the swirling scenery around her.

She crawled over to a tree and slowly steadied herself up, calming her nerves. She glanced around her area. There was nothing familiar about this place. She felt alone, and didn't know what was going on. She couldn't recall what happened, or where she even came from. All she knew was that she didn't know this place.

Her legs shook beneath her as she began her journey to wherever was in the direction she was going. She didn't know what to do, where to go, or even what would happen to her as she went along, but she didn't care. At least she had a sword with her.

The dizzying pain slowed her as she progressed, causing her to slow and stop, leaning against yet another tree. She thought for a while as her body steadied itself.

"_Okay, now, who are you?" _She asked herself. She felt ridiculous doing this, but she needed to find out what was going on.

"_My name is Lightning, isn't it?" _She answered. The truth was, she couldn't remember anything about her name. She simply remembered briefly being called Lightning. Was that her real name? Or was she oblivious to everything about herself…?

She sighed as the pain started to decrease a little bit. It felt terrible, but not so unbearable anymore. She scooped up her blade and started off again. Her mind was a jumbled mess. She couldn't remember anything. How had she gotten like this? What had happened to her? Why did she wear something so bloody and ripped? Why did she have on shoulder armor?

There were so many questions that had no answers to them.

_Lightning._ The name lingered in her head. The only part of her past that was at her disposal. _Lightning._

She played her objectives in her head. 1: Find out where she was. 2: Get started in the right direction. And finally, 3: Find more out about herself.

As she walked, she stared at the scenery around her. Trees were dying, the leaves falling off the branches. All the leaves lay on the path she walked, all of them a beautiful blend of orange, yellow, and brown. Golden in the sunlight. The grass was mixed with brown and green. She changed her view to the sunset. It was gorgeous, with it's many mixing colors of shining blue, golden orange, honey colored yellowish red, and a wonderful shade of rose pink.

She caught herself silently wishing upon the sunset, wishing to find a way out of this situation. Of course, she knew it wouldn't work. There were no such thing as miracles. She wanted to believe that wishing on a sunset would bring her some form of luck, but the possibilities were slim.

Her feet continued down the trail for hours, the sun long gone by now. She squinted her eyes to see in the darkness. She couldn't see the path anymore, just silhouettes of trees and bushes. She must have veered off the trail, because she no longer felt the gravel under her feet, only soft grass and mud.

'_I'm going to die here.' _She thought, imagining all the possible things that could happen.

A loud animalistic growl erupted from a nearby turn in her direction. Her ears perked up and she slowly unsheathed her sword, turning in the direction of the growl. She waited, listening carefully. There was the soft pitter patter of footsteps crossing the leaves. She prepared herself. Just as she got in fighting position, the footsteps stopped. Her eyes squinted even more. There was no sign of anything. Her posture straightened up again. There was a small landing sound behind her and she turned, her sword ready again.

As she faced the creature, it lunged itself at her, knocking her over. It landed on her, it's teeth gnashing at her. She struggled to kick it off. Her boots tore at the creatures stomach, searching for an open area to kick. They found a target spot and her legs shot upward, the creature soaring over her head, landing on it's side. It quickly stood back up and ran after her again. It had a major advantage over her. It could see her, and she couldn't see it. She had to rely on her other four senses.

Hearing. She heard it's feet running at full speed toward her. She quickly swung her sword at it, knocking it to the side. She heard the creature let out a pain filled yelp.

Smell. She smelled the stench of dirty dog on it's fur. She ducked as the smell came closer to her, then smelled it pass over her and land somewhere behind her.

Touch. She felt the tail brush her arm and she moved it, countering the contact with her swords blade against the tail. She felt the thin tail fall off and land on her boot. The hilt of her sword was somewhat wet with the blood of her enemy. The creature let out a cry of rage and charged at her.

The final blow: taste. As the creature jumped over her, she tasted the small drop of blood from her enemy as it dripped on her. She lifted her sword over her and cut through the air above her head.

The creature screeched and fell silent right by her feet. She squatted down beside it and picked it up, carrying it over her shoulder. She needed any source of food she could get around here. She didn't know how long she'd be alone here. She cringed as she felt the blood of the creature drip down her back, staining her white long vest and soaking her strawberry blond hair.

Lightning walked to a small silhouette of a dying tree and dropped the body of the creature and stood on her tip toes to reach the dead branches, breaking them off one by one. She plucked a handful of them and carefully put them in a pile. She grabbed a small rock and used it against her boot to send sparks toward the pile of dried sticks.

The sparks ignited into a small flame that quickly spread to all of the fuel and lit up the darkness around Lightning. She looked around, realizing that she was in a small canyon area. She looked at the dead body of the creature that attacked her. It was a Bandersnatch. She'd read about them. They were vicious bloodthirsty animals. She also read that they were edible if they were cooked right. They were considered a delicacy among certain people.

She paused. She had read about them. Where did she get an education? Yet another question that would go unanswered for a while.

She carefully skinned the fur off and cut it into small fillets, stabbed a stick into the meat and held it over the fire. She held it close enough to the hungry flames to get the inside cooked faster, ignoring the fact that the outside of it was burning.

She pulled it away from the fire and peeled off some of the charred parts, then bit into it. Even burned, it was wonderful. It was filling, it was food, and it was something she figured she wouldn't be getting for a long time.

With the meat gone, Lightning laid back into the grass, her head against the fur that had been peeled off. It was fairly cool outside, but for some reason, that didn't bother her. She curled up and let the warmth of the fire fill her. She closed her eyes, letting the memory of the battle she had just gotten done with replay itself. Every win was important, it made her stronger, gave her more experience. With that satisfying thought in her head, she dozed off, filled with food, warmth, and pride.

**Cocoon: Meeting Room**

The room was filled with people of the military, including some of Lightning's men, the Admiral, Roi, and the Prime Minister. They all sat silent for a moment, considering what had been done. The guy that Lightning had shown a hint of caring to sat in a chair, upset and deep in thought. He had always admired Lightning and her leadership, even though she had been extremely strict. It worked though. Her troops lost the least amount of people.

The admiral finally cleared his throat and glanced at the man. "Lieutenant." He said. The man rose and saluted.

"Sir!" He said.

"At ease."

The man sat again and paid attention again. The admiral smiled slightly at him. "Niko, welcome to the chair of commanding officer." He nodded at Roi, who moved toward him and pinned a badge on him. "Commander Niko." He bowed.

Niko looked at the badge, examining it. It was yellow and had the silhouette of Cocoon and an eagle connected. The eagle was outlined with black and the area of it was silver, copied by the symbol of Cocoon.

He saluted to the Prime Minister and smiled. "Thank you, sirs." He said, then sat yet again. The Prime Minister peered over at the admiral.

"You are very quiet, Nayl."

Nayl turned his focus over to the Prime Minister. He scoffed.

"We just got rid of one of our best soldiers. What do you expect Veran?" He said, chewing on the end of his ancient pipe.

Veran sighed, nodding. "I understand. It is extremely upsetting." He agreed. "However, we received a brand new commander. Why don't we spend our energy on training him instead of wasting it on sadness?" He stood and motioned for Niko.

Niko made his way over to him. "Come with me. I'll get you your outfit and your handbook." He stated, leading him out of the room. Nayl observed Roi. The young mans face was hardened from what he had done. He was more serious. His face was that of a man who had seen decades of battle, and only after three battles. Nayl was concerned, but he knew it was none of his business. Roi had just lost a best friend, and it was hard to replace that in a man.

The admiral stood and walked over to Roi, putting a hand on his shoulder. Roi looked up at him, then back down. "It'll be okay. She's strong enough. She'll live through this." He said. "I doubt that was the last time you two will see each other."

Roi laughed a little. "Yes, but next time, we'll be enemies." He pointed out. "Do you know how it feels to betray a best friend who needed you? You should've seen the look on her face. It was sad, confused. I can't handle it. The pain that was shown on her face. She was like a sister to me, sir. I can't just live on." He got up, leaning on the chair. "Try doing that to your sister, sir. You'll see what I mean. When you've spent a long time as one, then the person you thought you could trust the most turns on you, attacks you…I hit her, knocked her out, and sent her on her death path. Hardly anyone has ever survived that world, sir. Sure, she was strong, but I don't know if she can handle that world all by herself. Here, she had all the help she could get. Down there, she has no one." He fought back a small tear, feeling the pain in him increase. "I betrayed her, and there's no way that I can take that back or get over it… at least not for a while."

Nayl didn't know what to say. He understood what the man was saying, he'd sent many friends down there and never heard back from them. He didn't know how many of them were still alive, if any. It was just that he'd done that so many times he'd gotten used to it. Maybe that's why so many people didn't know how to have fun anymore. Many family members were sent away to die or suffer. This was war, and it was tearing Cocoon apart from the inside. Ripping at the hearts of others. They may have been winning the war physically, but Pulse was winning over all, for Cocoon would destroy itself from fear.

He nodded. "I understand Roi. I'll give you some time off. Rest, get better." He ordered, then left.

Roi stood there for a while, staring up at the ceiling. He let the tear roll freely from his eyes. He opened his mouth to utter one short sentence.

"Forgive me, Lightning."

**_((Aww.. poor dude. I'll put up another chapter around this time next week, alright? Okay. Keep reviewing for me and I'll keep writing. HxC MooCow!!))_**


	5. Pulse

**Final fantasy XIII**

Chapter 4

Lightning awoke the next morning to a loud, sudden crash. Her body jerked awake, shooting straight up. Her eyes darted around the area, searching for the source. There was nothing around her except the same trees, grass, and bushes that had been there the night before.

She sighed and put her head in her hands to relax. Her nerves began to calm, her breathing returning to normal. Her arms were cold from the night air, but the sun shone brightly over her, quickly warming up the world. She smelled the dead carcass of the creature she had killed that night.

As she stood to keep going, she heard the crash again, quickly pulling out her sword, glancing around. She knew that something was out there. Her eyes darted around the scenery. She listened closely for another sound, preparing her things so she could engage it. The noise came again, this time, from the other side of the cliff she was near.

Lightning bolted to the cliff, grabbing a hold of the rock, pulling herself up, finding a foothold. She scaled the side of the cliff with no problem, using her feet and hands to propel herself upwards. The going was slow, but something kept her going. She felt the need to find what was happening, the need to be able to solve the problem. She reached for another hold, and as she grabbed it, her foot slid off it's hold, leaving the pressure for her arms. She felt them stretch, felt the pain of her shoulder being ripped out of it's socket. The strawberry blond desperately scanned the rock face for another foothold. Her eyes lit up as they landed on a possible taker. She reached her foot over to it and fit it neatly on the rock that jutted out of the cliff.

She let out a sigh of relief, then continued her way with one arm and both legs. Her shoulder throbbed, the pain tugging at her mind. Her mind ignored the new injury and focused on the task at hand for another minute. She gratefully reached up for the top of the cliff, her booted feet kicking at the side for more traction, helping her up.

As soon as she got up, she lay down on the flat, elevated ground, her breathing heavy from the workout. Her shoulder, however, screamed at her for attention. Annoyed at the unwelcome pain, she quickly reached into the bag strapped to her leg and pulled out some of the fur she had gotten off of the now deceased creature, carefully set it between her teeth, and bit down. She put her left hand on her right shoulder, closed her eyes, then quickly shoved it back into it's rightful home.

She let out a muffled cry of pain, blinking back tears, her vision blackening from the extreme throbbing in her shoulder. She lay back down, allowing herself to slip into a deep sleep…

A young girl about the same age as Lightning, maybe younger, stood at the top of a cliff, staring out at the beautiful sight below her. She watched as a herd of large prehistoric reptiles stalked through the river, following its flow toward the ocean. The girl, whose bright green eyes sparkled in the now overwhelming sunlight, put her hands up against her forehead to look up at the floating city of Cocoon, from where she had been cast out many years ago, when she was just a little girl. Her red curly pigtails bobbed in the wind, which cooled the now unbearable heat. It was summer, of course the weather would be hot.

She had been standing there for an hour now, staring at the same scenery, just like she did everyday. Down in Pulse, there wasn't really all that much to do, besides walk, stare at the scenery, or hunt. She did all three in one day, and it had become her schedule over the past decade.

The girl finally turned around to leave, then almost jumped at the sight in front of her. A woman lay unconscious on the ground, her arm bruised and her face and hands covered in sweat and dirt, which had obviously come from the rockwall. She slowly made her way over and knelt down. Her hand cautiously moved to the womans wrist. Seeing that the woman wouldn't wake any time soon, she felt her pulse. A sigh of relief escaped her. She was alive.

Her face quickly changed from relief to that of terrible realization. How would she get her down? She thought for a moment, then noticed the bag on the woman. She opened it and searched for something, anything. She found a large thing of skinned fur.

She pulled it out and unfolded it. It was large, rather large actually. She laid it out on the ground and took out an arrow. She took an estimate of the correct place to cut holes on the sides, then used her arrow to do so. After the holes were made, she took out a long rope from her bag, feeding the ends through the holes, creating a small lowering bed for the unconscious woman.

The girl stood, cleaned off her hands a little, then attempted to move the woman onto it. She scooted her, tried to pick her up, picked her upper body up first, then the bottom, finally getting her on it. She tested the rope hold, jerking forcefully on it, checking the accuracy on her estimates, and, with a satisfactory nod, tied the rope to a large boulder. She held onto the rope closest to the woman, then kicked her off the edge, using the boulder to keep herself from falling off with her. She slowly and carefully lowered the makeshift medical bed down, her face turning bright red the longer she strained herself. When the loose rope was gone, she let go and looked over the edge to check the womans position. The bed was a foot away from the ground.

She frowned, then sat on the edge, grabbed the rope, and climbed down it slowly until she reached the homemade bed. She wrapped her legs around the rope, reached into her knife sheath with one hand while hanging onto the rope with the other, and swiftly cut the rope, releasing the woman down to the ground. She flinched as the woman shifted, but calmed as the woman settled, laying still once again.

The girl hopped down and brushed off her hands. She glanced at the homemade bed, then back at the rope. She unsheathed the knife yet again, climbed up the rock face a few feet, then cut off that part of the rope. She watched as it landed softly on the rock ground with a small, quiet thud. She jumped off and connected with the dirt floor. The rope lay in a small heap next to the unconscious lady. She picked up the piece of rope and tied it to the bed, crafting a pulley system that would help her drag the woman to her village.

She took hold of the other end of the rope and set off, grunting as she took each step.

'_Man, she's heavy. She needs to lay off the pounds.' _She thought as she struggled down the path to her village…

**COCOON…**

Roi paced back and forth in his small quarters, thinking about everything that had gone wrong. He lost his best friend, they lost an excellent commander, and the new commander was a worry-wart about everything. He was a fine officer, but when he commanded his troops, he did so uncertainly. Was it that he thought there was no replacing Lightning? Did he think of her more than a commander? Or was all of this just the result of losing a commander?

He paused at the door. He knew he should talk to him about it, but he wasn't sure how to start it. He didn't personally know Niko. He didn't know if he would take things personally like Lightning did, should he bring it up. If he did the same thing Lightning did, they would have to do exactly what they had to their previous commander: replace him.

The black haired Captain opened the door and traveled to the training arena. He nodded to all of the men and women who saluted to him on the way there. He got so much more of the respect he deserved with this badge on. Without it, people considered him as nothing more than a trainer, which was exactly what he had been. With it, they knew he was important, knew what he had done for the city, for everyone living in it.

He reached out his arms and swung open the door to the training arena. There, he saw Niko sitting, just watching from his one spot. His troops were sloppy. They were unintelligent in the fighting ways. Many of them were aiming wrong, some were holding their weapons wrong, their hand on the wrong part of the gun. And worse yet, many of them were holding swords that were too big for their body height and weight.

Roi shook his head and strode over to Niko. "Commander?"

Niko shot up, his hand rocketing to his forehead in a solid salute. "Sir!" He yelled, his expression changing from that of deep thought to determination.

Roi looked at him, then over at his troops. "Doesn't look like you've done anything to help train your men." He pointed out.

The young man's eyes widened and he glanced at his men. "Oh, yeah. I was going to start in just a moment." He explained. "I was just thinking, that's all."

"What about? You can talk to me about it." He assured him. "Lightning didn't ask for any help, which was really her downfall." He said. "Just tell me what's going on."

Niko stared at his boots. He hesitated before saying anything, but soon opened his mouth again to talk. "Before Pulse got in out perimeters, Lightning showed some care for us. I wasn't sure if we were going to live or not, and she told me that we'd do just fine, then smiled." He admitted. "I had thought maybe things would turn around and I could actually make friends with her."

Roi pondered this for a short moment. "She…really wasn't the type of person to make friends with those who she trained. She didn't believe in it." He told him. "She thought that making friends with trainees would only make her weaker, because if they died, she'd feel the pain inside. That's about the only thing she ever spoke to me about when it came to her feelings."

The man sighed. "I guess I understand. What I don't get is that if she would've made friends with us, we'd have all gotten along and trained better."

"Apparently you did pretty well." Roi reminded him. Niko nodded.

"Yeah, I guess so. Maybe she did know what she was doing…" He thought out loud.

The Captain put a hand on his shoulder. "Get to work, commander." He ordered kindly. Niko shot a salute again.

"Yes, sir!"

Roi spun on his heel and waltzed back to his room, shut the door, and sat on his bed, feeling as if he'd just let out a part of his own problems by talking to Niko. Maybe the kid would make a fine officer after all…

**Pulse: Unknown Village…**

A nurse entered the room in the small hospital where a strawberry blonde haired woman lay on a hospital bed. The woman was dehydrated and dirty. Blood stained her clothes and a small part of her hair. The nurse didn't know whether the blood was the womans own, or someone else's.

She picked up the womans wrist and carefully slid a needle in, injecting a shot of water to help with the hydration. She went over to the sink and grabbed a rag, dipping it in the water. She turned back to the woman and dabbed at her forehead, removing some of the dirt that resided on her face. She cleaned off her hands and face, then started on her arms, watching as all the dirt and blood was cleaned away.

There was a soft knock on the door and a tiny whisper. "Is it okay to come in?"

The nurse smiled. "Come in."

The red haired heroine entered, carrying a small pink fruit that was already half eaten. Her body was cleaned already from her little adventure. "How's she doing?"

The nurse taped the needle that was in her arm so that it wouldn't fall out, then faced her. "She'll be fine. She just pushed herself too hard. Where did you find her again?"

The girl shrugged. "On the cliff, where I always go." The nurse pondered the statement.

"How long was she there?"

"I don't know, I was there already when she got there, I guess. I turned to leave and I saw her laying there." She explained, finishing off her fruit. She licked her fingers, ridding her fingers of the sticky residue.

"She must be new. I've never seen her before." The nurse said, half to herself. She examined her, then noticed the shoulder armor. "Wait. Is that…?"

The red haired girl took a look, then widened her eyes. "It is." They glanced at each other.

"Cocoons military?"

**Later that night…**

The room was pitch black. Lightning was awake, she knew it, but for some reason, she couldn't see a thing. Maybe she had gone blind. It was possible by laying in the sun too long, especially on a day that was brighter than others.

She could hear everything. There wasn't really anything TO hear, just a soft humming sound. Someone was there with her.

Her eyes shot open and she sat up quickly. She was in a hospital room. It was a clean white color, with few counters made of wood. Apparently they weren't all that high tech. She gazed to her right, seeing a young, red haired girl sitting by her, smiling.

"Good morning, sleepy head." She said, then paused. "Well, more like good night, sleepy head."

Lightning cocked an eyebrow. Confusion clouded her senses as she examined the room again. There were very few pieces of furniture, and the only chair was taken up by the strange hyper girl. Her eyes settled on her company. A large smile covered her face, brightening it up even more. She wondered where the girl had come from, if she was a native to this land.

The girl held out her hand. "I'm Sera, by the way. What's your name?" She asked, excitement in her voice. Lightning slowly shook the girls hand.

"Lightni-in-ing." She studdered as the girl shook her hand furiously.

"That's a strange name. Where are you from?" Sera asked. Lightning didn't feel comfortable with this. She didn't know where she was from, and didn't wish to tell Sera that. She moved her head to face the door.

"Where am I?" She asked, changing the subject. "I don't remember getting here."

"Oh." Sera took a short peek around the room. "I brought you here. You were really heavy." She told her. "You were injured, so I got you off the cliff and pulled you."

Lightning eyed her. "You got me off the cliff right after I had climbed all the way up?" She asked rudely. Sera backed up a little.

"If I didn't, you'd be dead right now." She informed, calming down as Lightning took a few steps back. She sighed and took a sip of her canteen. "besides, what'do you want on the cliff that's so important?"

The moody woman sat on the bed, her legs and arms crossed. "I heard a loud noise and wanted to find out what it was, but now I can't." She glared at the girl.

Sera laughed a little. "What kind of a noise?" She asked, tilting her head to the side. She fumbled with her necklaces, which were very primitive in design. Very animalistic.

"I don't know, a thud, I guess. A group of 'thuds'." She explained. Sera smiled. She took off a necklace and showed her. It was a large, sharp pearl tooth.

"It was a herd of dinosaurs." She answered. Lightning's eyes lit in curiosity. She cleared her throat.

"A herd of what?" She asked. She had never heard of such a thing. What were they? Animals, mammals, reptiles? All?

Sera perked up. "What's a dinosaur? Well, it's…um…" She scratched her head. "I don't really know how to explain them to you.. I guess you could call them humongous reptiles." She said. Lightning nodded.

"Where do they go? I'd like to see one." She said. Sera smiled.

"Oh, I always see them on my walks. Tonight they'll be near the river. I'll take you there, if you want." She offered.

Lightning rethought her approach. She didn't want to hurt the girls feelings, but she kind of annoyed her. She'd have to put it lightly. Her mind raced, trying to find an answer quick enough. That didn't happen.

"Okay, I'll meet you at the gates at nine." She jumped up and childishly skipped out of the room. Lightning shook her head. There was still the opportunity to stand her offer up.

'_No, don't do that. She didn't do anything to you.'_ She battled her mental bully. Why was she so short tempered? It didn't matter that much. Sera was a nice person, but something inside her wanted to scream at the girl, make her work. She wanted so badly to tell her what she really thought, but she kept it in. It was hard, but she did it.

Lightning got up and strode out the door. She slowly looked around, then bolted for the door. A nurse saw her and yelled for her to stop, but she continued her rampage to the exit. She wanted out. As the door swung open, she ran into a man. A very tall man, to say the least. He was very large, muscles could easily be seen through the sleeves of his white jacket. She noticed his blonde hair, and something triggered, a small flash…

_They ran together, the playground a blur in their prescence. They tagged each other back and forth, then ran in hopes that they wouldn't get tagged again. Each time they ran, they hit someone on their way away, but it didn't stop them. They did that until sunset had begun, then collapsed on the ground next to each other, staring up at the sky. _

_The boy was a blondie, and her best friend. They had hardly ever been separated. The girl was Lightning, her strawberry hair shorter than it presently was. They were both panting from all the running, and were also the only ones there._

_As the sun set, the boy looked at her. "Don't ever forget me, okay? I won't forget you." He said, sorrow all over his face. She sat up and nodded._

"_I can't possibly forget you. You're the best friend I could ever ask for." She assured him, hugging him._

This man, for some reason, sparked her memory. It scared her. She didn't know what to think, or do. She looked up at him, noticing that his eyes were filled with happiness.

"Lightning?"


	6. Snow Day

**_((Hey, sorry that i deleted it, but i had to get rid of the underlining...:( Okay, so here it is, sorry it's late...again.))_**

**Chapter 5**

Lightning stared at him for a moment, confusion masking her face. Who was he, and how did he know her? Her mind thought back to the flashback. Was it real? Or was it a figment of her imagination? She didn't know what to believe anymore. He looked so familiar, yet she couldn't place him.

The mans smile faded quickly to a disappointed frown. His eyes dulled a bit from internal hurt. This obviously affected him very much.

"You didn't forget me, did you?" He asked, already knowing the answer. She felt bad, but it didn't seem to sink in all the way. She didn't care for some reason what this guy felt. It didn't bother her as much as she would've thought.

"I guess I did." She answered, starting to walk away. Three feet into the short journey, he caught up to her. He was very tall. A foot taller than her, at the least. His muscles bulged out of his three quarters length white jacket, his longer blonde hair covered by a black beanie. On his chin was small stubble, and on his left forearm, a black tattoo was visible.

He walked slower to meet her pace. "You don't remember? We used to play together all of the time. It's me, Snow." He stated, trying to jog her memory.

She briefly glanced at him. "Snow? Don't remember. I think I'd remember a name like that. It's very unique." She said. He frowned again. He had no clue what he was supposed to do. He scratched his head with one hand, itching the stubble on his chin with the other. He'd never had to deal with a problem this bad.

"Did you hit your head?" He asked, his eyes glazed in thought. He watched as she stopped and looked at him, surprised.

"I don't know. I told you already, I don't remember anything, besides my name." She repeated. "I don't know why you can't get that through your head."

Snow stopped and stared as she kept walking. The Lightning he knew wouldn't treat anyone like that. Maybe he had found the wrong person…

Impossible. No one else had a name like that. He was forced to leave, so maybe that changed her. But why wouldn't she remember him? They had been friends almost their entire life. It hurt, but he sucked it up and followed. "Well, if you don't remember, then I'll refresh your memory. My name is Snow. I used to live in Cocoon with you, and we were best friends basically our entire lives, until I was sent away." He explained.

She took a peek at him again, giving him a risen eyebrow. "Cocoon? Sent away? And what does 'basically our entire lives' mean?" She questioned, obviously different from the girl he knew a long time ago.

He bit at the inside of his mouth. "Basically as in not our entire lives, but pretty close. I was eleven when I left, you were ten. Before I left, we had been friends for seven years." He said. "Cocoon is that world up there." He pointed up at the floating city above them. Her eyes followed, widening as she noticed the huge city that had so easily avoided her gaze.

"That's Cocoon?" She asked, pausing her walk to stare. "It's rather large. What's up there?"

He smiled. _'That's Lightning, alright.'_

"A city. Buildings. A military. And a city hall equipped with ruler and everything." He stated, fixing his coat.

Lightning stared in fascination, her ice blue eyes fixed on the scene. He laughed a little. "You act like it's the most amazing thing that you've ever seen."

She turned her face toward her, her eyes staying glued to the floating city. She eventually let them rest on him. "Well, like I've said about three times already: I. Don't. Remember. Anything. About. Myself." She said slowly. "Did you understand that?"

"Ooh, ouch. That's harsh." He made a fake pained look. "You don't have to be so rude about it."

She rolled her eyes and kept going, hinting her disdain. He, however, didn't get the picture. Snow followed, his footsteps long. "So, what DO you remember?"

"My name. That's about it." She answered, not looking at him. "Sad thing, I know. Maybe you can tell me more."

He cleared his throat. "Sure, uh, you're probably about 24 now, I'm a year older than you. Your parents died a long time ago, so you lived with me and my family for a while, until you reached the age of 15, when you insisted on living in your family's old house." He took a glance at her. She was staring ahead, completely unaffected. She did look deep in thought, however. "So, we let you. You used to tell me that you wanted to be a builder, or whatever they're called." He laughed. "I wonder if you actually made it."

Her eyes changed from a serious hatred to a serious train of thought. As she stopped walking, she glanced up at Cocoon again. Snow examined her carefully. Her icy eyes shone brilliantly in the sun, and he couldn't help but stare. They'd grown even more icy than the last time he'd seen her. He wondered what it was that had caused her to lose her memory. It must've been bad, seeing how she carried military issue weaponry. His mind went through all of the possibilities, ranging anywhere from losing it in battle, to falling on the job and hitting her head.

'_No, the last is just ridiculous. She's not clumsy.'_ He argued. By the time his thought process came shooting back, he noticed she was gone. Panicked, he peered around the set of hills. To his convenience, she stood on the closest hill, hands behind her back, still staring at Cocoon.

Snow walked over beside her. "Can't get enough of it, I see," he stated, a smug look on his face. Lightning pulled her eyes away from the floating royalty and glared at him.

"You try losing your memory. It's not the best thing in the world." She snapped.

Snow backed up. "Fine, sorry. It must be tough."

She shrugged. "Whatever, I don't need your sympathy." she said, walking back down the hill. He stared at her in confusion, slowly following her.

"Hey, wait. So, you don't want me to be mean, you don't want me to joke, and you don't want me to be nice? What am I supposed to do, then?" he asked. She shrugged again.

"Whatever you want, but I'm leaving soon." She stated, heading for the small forest. He paused.

"Where are you going?"

She stopped and glanced over her shoulder at him, her eyes cutting deep into him. "I'm going to try and find out what's going on around here."

"Do you have anywhere to stay?" he asked, after a minute or so of silence. She shook her head. "Well, you can stay with me." he suggested. "I've got an extra room."

He smiled as she paused for a short moment. She looked him in the eyes. "Thanks for the offer, but no thanks." His smile faded again.

"Well, then where are you going to stay?" he asked her, very confused by her answer.

She pointed at the forest. "I'm staying there." She answered, turning her body back in that direction. "I'll see you later, Snow." she said, heading off to her temporary home.

Snow scowled. He didn't like this new Lightning. She was rude, cruel. Nothing like the one he knew a long time ago, and certainly not friendly anymore. Not only that, but he didn't appreciate the whole forgetting-all-about-him thing. They made a promise, and she broke it.

"Calm down, Snow. She can't help it." He muttered to himself, so low that no one passing by could hear, or comprehend, what he said.

He sighed heavily and headed back home, dragging his tall, beefy body along the hills and trails to his home. His mind tempted him away from her, tempted him to walk away from her forever, to never be there for her again. He couldn't believe how different she was. But his more dominant part of his mind countered it. He would stick with their promise. He would wait till she was better.

He let out a breath of relief once he entered the comfort of his cabin. He went over to the kitchen and pulled open his fridge, a rather large smile spreading as his eyes fell on a steak. He licked his lips and began heating it back up. His stomach growled fiercely at him as the smell wafted up to him.

Snow pulled the steak out and began to devour it right there, ripping it apart with his teeth. The meaty taste filled his taste buds and consumed his thoughts…for the moment. As he finished, he felt his eyelids get heavier and heavier, until he sat down on the couch and closed his eyes.


	7. The River

**((hey guys, it's me again. I don't know how long it's been since I last posted something, but I apologize if it's been too long. Thanks go to Rachael for reading and reviewing so much. I appreciate it. This chapter is a little shorter than the others, but soon the action will start, I promise. New trailers have come out and with them new information that I need to think about. Enjoy chapter 6!!))**

Chapter 6

Lightning sat in the shade of the many tall trees of the forest. She couldn't see the sky, therefore she could only guess that the afternoon was beginning to slip away. The shade had been getting darker for about an hour now, and soon she would be unable to see past her hands, if that. Her Gunblade sat next to her, the shine from the above light fading.

Her eyes stared in awe around her, even though it had been hours since she first set foot in the amazing forest. Not only were the trees and bushes rather tall, but lining the trail, thirty some feet apart from each other, stood large, odd shaped crystals. They were sharp at the point, but she didn't second guess it. It was probably a defensive maneuver to keep flying enemies away.

She lay her head back against the thick trunk of the tree. She could feel the aura of both tension and relaxation clashing together. The birds sang a soft hum of a tune, while the heavy footsteps of a far away creature sounded through the trees. It was nature's song, and she was a part of it now.

She remembered Sera's words about the herd of dinosaurs. _'Tonight they'll be near the river. I'll take you there if you want.'_

She didn't want to meet Sera there, but maybe she'd go see them herself. See what they look like. Her enthusiasm dulled when a complication came up. Sera had also said that she always saw them on her walks. Would she be there? If so, she would just have to stay hidden in the forest. Get a look from afar.

The sun was very low now, about sunset. The light around her was a reddish orange color, and she once again felt at ease. It was always a peaceful time of day for her. All of the bad things tended to wait until night time to happen. But maybe today would be different.

Lightning stood up and stretched. She'd rested for nearly an hour and a half, and it was time to get started on a place to sleep. She rested her Gunblade in her holster and started plucking twigs and small branches off of trees for fire wood. She placed them off to the side of the trail, and then scanned the area for a decent place to sleep. As she looked, her eyes rested on a particular tree. The bottom of the trunk was caved in a little, due to the way the tree had grown. There was a small cave in where the roots spread apart, creating the perfect secure sleeping area she had hoped for. She picked up the pile of branches and set up camp inside the little crevice.

By the time she finished everything, it was dark. The trees were just black silhouettes in the distance. They all looked exactly the same from the spot she stood at. In the distance she could hear the loud roaring of the dinosaurs. A small smile played across her lips. She took off in the direction the noise came from. Her feet pounded almost noiselessly along the dirt and leaves on the ground. The wind howled in her ears as she sped in the opposite direction of its flow. It was cold air, but after an hour of setting up camp, it felt good to her.

A noise above her startled her, veering her off course. She skidded to a halt before nature had the chance to slam her into a tree trunk. She sighed angrily and looked around for the source of her surprise. Nothing was in sight. The only thing visible was the outlines of the shrubbery around her.

A sudden movement grabbed her attention and she reached out to grab it. Her hand clapped around a handful of hair. She rolled her eyes as she realized who it was. The thickness of the red pigtail in her grip gave that away almost immediately.

"What are you doing here, Sera?" She asked, annoyed. The girl turned to face her.

"I told you I'd take you to see them." The light tone of her voice gave away her hidden smile. "I never take back a promise."

Lightning let out an exasperated breath of air. "I was doing just fine. I know where to go." she said, stamping away from the girl, who didn't get the message. Sera followed happily as the strawberry haired woman tried to hint her away.

"But how? You don't know the area very well." she pointed out.

"I was following the sound. It's not that hard. Well, it wasn't until you showed up." she replied grumpily.

Sera frowned. "Well, sorry, grumpy pants. Not my fault that you're stubborn."

Lightning stopped quickly, putting her arm in front of Sera to stop her. "Shhh." she said, listening.

"What do you hear?" she asked.

"Shh!" Lightning said harsher.

Sera waited a moment. "Well?"

"Right now I don't hear anything but you, and I won't unless you shut your trap." she answered, annoyance taking over.

She turned back to the noise and listened carefully. It was a roar, but it wasn't like any other one that she'd heard. It was close. She spun around to Sera. "We're close."

When she was able to look at the girl, she noticed that she wasn't even look at her, she was looking past her. "Well, yeah. Look behind you."

Lightning turned around slowly, as if trying not to scare whatever was there away. Or better yet, attempting to avoid a battle with an unknown player in the game. Her eyes soon caught sight of what Sera had seen. A dinosaur's leg had landed only a few feet away from them. She wondered how she had missed the sound of it landing.

"Whoa…" Lightning breathed. It was amazing. The creature was very big, maybe ten feet tall, fifteen feet long at the least. It's skin shimmered in the moonlight that was available in the clearing only two feet away from her. It's neck was short, but the two stubby horns on the top of its head made up for the missing length.

She was in too much of a daze. The thing was scary, but beautiful at the same time. It was dangerous, yet peaceful at the same time, capable of killing someone, but looking too at peace to do anything of the sort.

"Look out!" Sera yelled, grabbing the back of Lightning's shirt, pulling her out of the way of the huge creatures steps. The foot missed her by a half a foot. She stared after it in amazement. She was too shocked to actually comprehend what had happened, but soon it sank in: she had been careless. That things beauty had distracted her.

She looked at Sera, then away. "Thanks." She said, then walked into the meadow, taking in the scene. Many dinosaurs of different kinds grazed in the grass. Most drank from the river. She watched as one spit the water back out. She grimaced. "Remind me not to bathe in the river." she said.

"Oh, no worry, the river flows, so that water will be long gone by the time you're ready to bathe." Sera replied. Lightning eyed her rudely.

"I know that. It was supposed to be a friendly joke." she muttered.

"Oh."

Lightning sat down in the meadow, at the very edge to keep safe, and watched the large beasts. Her eyes drooped slightly and she shook herself awake. It wasn't best to fall asleep in the same field as something that could kill you.

Sera noticed her fatigue. "You ready to go to bed? I can carry you back if you fall asleep."

"No, I'll walk myself." She replied stubbornly.

She got up and brushed off her skirt. She took one last look at the dinosaurs, then walked away, heading back the way she came from. Sera looked back and forth between the two species on each side of her, the dinosaurs and Lightning. Her curiosity won her over and she followed Lightning.

"So, you sure you want to stay here? You can always stay with me." she offered.

"I'm fine. You're the second one to offer me that." She scoffed. Sera made a face.

"Who else did?" she asked, hating to be second at it.

"Some guy named Snow who swears he was my best friend when we were kids. Which I guess is possible…" She rambled. Sera thought about it for a moment.

"Oh, Snow Villiers!" she exclaimed, completely interrupting Lightning's thoughts. "He's an awesome friend. Kind of a loner if you ask me, but you beat him at that, I guess." she stated.

Lightning huffed. "He kind of freaks me out." she muttered. Maybe he wasn't so bad…

No. She didn't know him. She couldn't put all of her faith in him. She sighed, then stared into the sky. If she had known him before, then she would apologize when she remembered. She didn't have time to make new friends. She needed to find a way to remember her life.

Sera was following her still, and she could hear the very annoying, very loud humming that she was producing. She was not a very careful person. It was awkward to be stuck with someone like her.

Lightning breathed out heavily. She stopped and looked back at the girl. "Look, not to be rude, but I'd prefer to be alone. You are a loud person." she said. Sera stopped her whistling and stared.

"I…annoy you?" she guessed. Lightning nodded.

"No offense."

The girl looked up at the sky. She let out a quiet breath. "None taken." she said after a minute. "See you later."

Lightning watched as the girl spun on her heels and took off in the direction of the village. Even after what had been said to her, she still seemed giddy. It was annoying how happy she was.

After a few minutes of walking, Lightning came across her camp site and lay against the crevice in her tree trunk. She started up a fire and sighed contently as the warmth of the fire consumed her. Now all she needed was food…

That could wait until the morning. She was tired, and she had a feeling she'd need her energy for the next day. With all of the thoughts rushing through her head, it took her a while to actually fall asleep. Thoughts of her secret past flowed to her. She wondered what she used to be like. What it was like to be her before whatever it was that happened.

Every once in a while, she'd hear a shriek or cry of some creature in the forest with her, but relaxed when they never came any closer to her. Soon her thoughts dulled out and a heavy sense of sleep began to take her. As she leaned against the tree, a bright, warm fire in front of her, her eyelids closed and she fell asleep.


	8. Prophecy

Chapter 7

Cocoon wasn't as peaceful as it used to, Roi noticed. It seemed that Lightning had a bigger effect on everyone than they had thought. With her gone, people began to suspect the military of simply turning on their own people. There was less trust than there used to be. People passing him by would watch him carefully. There was no one that didn't know his involvement.

But it wasn't like he wanted to get rid of her. She had been his best friend. Like he would CHOOSE to get rid of his friend. The truth was, he still missed her. It was never the same without her around. Things had been quiet with her, but still there was a sense of happiness around them. Just having her around felt good.

He shook his head. He shouldn't be thinking about this. Not now, not ever. The memories brought back a terrible pain, and one that shouldn't be remembered when he was attempting to take the admirals' spot in the military.

Admiral Nayl had put in his retirement a week ago. He had announced that he was looking for someone to take his place. Roi had the feeling that he didn't have much competition. The only other commander was Niko, and he had just begun his commanding status. Any other soldier at the training facility was incapable of the status change.

He sighed and pushed open the training facility entrance doors, walking into a long hallway. As he turned a corner, he paused. It was the same corner that he had been approached by Lightning, the time that she had told him to just leave things alone. To trust her. What if he HAD left things alone? Would they be better off? Or worse?

He snapped out of his thoughts and started toward the meeting room again. Veran and Nayl were waiting for him, each of them sitting in their designated spots. Niko was obviously running late.

When he entered, the admiral and prime minister looked up to meet his gaze. Veran stood and nodded. "Good to see you, Roi." he said.

"Good evening, Prime Minister." he saluted. Nayl stayed put, examining a file he held onto. "Where's Niko?"

"He's going to be a little later than expected. His troops are still training." Veran answered.

Roi sat down across from the admiral, next to Veran. Nayl stared at the folder for a moment longer, then sighed. "Do you know about the sacred grounds?" he asked. Roi and Veran glanced at each other.

"Yes." Roi answered. "That's where the final battle in the war of Cocoon took place, isn't it?" he asked.

"Very good. Only do you know all of the details? Do you know what those on the side of Pulse said?" He was opening the folder now, attempting to flip to a certain page.

Roi paused for a moment, and then shook his head. "No. I never learned that."

Nayl stared at the page. "They predicted. A prediction that they said the crystal of Pulse gave them. One that forced them to compromise with us." Roi watched him, waited for him to continue. He didn't know whether or not he was supposed to react, so he simply nodded. "They said that a woman would enter the ruins. That woman would be the one to bring the crystal of Pulse what it wanted. The ruin of Cocoon."

Veran nodded. "Yes, I wondered when this would happen. That prophecy has been waved away for decades." he said thoughtfully. "I wonder, do you think we could still stop this by bringing her back?"

Roi's eyes widened. "Lightning?" he asked. He never imagined them considering something like this. Bringing a person back up from Pulse. "Sir, with all due respect, we've never done something like that. Is it safe? People will assume that they can do whatever they want and we won't stick to what it is we do."

Nayl paused, giving Roi a look of respect. "I think he's right, Veran. People expect us to stick to what our beliefs are."

"Plus, if she is the one from the prophecy, then the crystal will find another way to do this." Roi stated. "It's destined to happen, apparently."

There was silence for a long while. The three of them thought to themselves. Roi thought about what they would have to do if Lightning came back. Or even worse: what they would have to do if she came back as the crystals servant. He cringed at the thought.

A knock at the door snapped them out of their thoughts, bringing them back to the task at hand. Nayl looked at the door. "Come in."

They expected the visitor to be Niko, the one who was supposed to be here with them right now. However, they were surprised to see a woman with long, golden hair that trailed down to her knees. Her hazel eyes were unreadable, as was her harsh, goddess-like face. She looked at the three of them, a smirk spreading across her lips.

"Are you three going to keep staring like I'm some god, or are you going to tell me what the plan is?" she asked, sitting in Lightning's old spot, now Niko's.

Nayl cleared his throat. "General Ava, it's a pleasure to have you here with us. How are things going in the Northern training academy?"

She sighed. "So-so, I guess. Things could be better. You know, I think that these trainees have nothing in their future. At least, not with the military." she scoffed. She looked at Roi, examining him. He felt insecure as her eyes darted across his face. It was just like having Lightning back, only more harsh, more severe.

Obviously she approved, because she stopped and turned her attention back to Nayl. "So, what are we chatting about?"

"About the prophecy." Roi stated. Nayl and Veran gave him a look. "What?"

Ava glanced away from Nayl and over to Roi. The eyes continued their familiar routine. "The prophecy? Do tell me more."

He gazed away from her, to Nayl and Veran. They were lightly shaking their heads. Ava noticed that and glared.

"Excuse me, I am a leading officer as well, and it is my duty to know what is going on." she said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Now, continue."

Roi took a breath. "We were talking about Lightning and her troubles with nightmares. That lead to the prophecy."

Ava laughed out loud, announcing her disbelief. "You think that LIGHTNING is that woman who will bring ruin to us?" she laughed even harder at the thought.

"Ava, she is more than capable of wiping us out. She almost single-handedly took out an entire Pulse militia a year ago." Veran reminded her. Ava's laughing slowed to a soft chuckle.

"Yes, but now that she is gone, there is nothing she can do to us. She has no more resources. You took away everything." she paused at the glances they gave to each other. "You did…take away her things, right?" she eyed them suspiciously.

Veran took a deep breath. "Well, you see…. She was going to wake up at any moment by the time we actually got her to the train depot…"

She stood up abruptly. "YOU DIDN'T TAKE ANYTHING FROM HER!?" she yelled, causing Nayl to flinch. Roi took a note not mess with her. "WELL…good job, then. She can now attack us at will…" she said, suddenly calm about everything. "I'll do everything in my power to keep her at bay, but if she gets through, you are done, you do know that, right?"

Nayl nodded. "Yes, I know. That's why we're doing what we can to get through this."

Ava sighed, leaning back in her chair as she did so. Her eyes closed and squeezed shut. She put her hands on each side of her head, her fingers rubbing her temples. Her left leg was draped across the right. She stayed like that for a long time. Roi occasionally looked over at Nayl and Veran, but they simply stared at her, waiting for her to begin again.

After what seemed like hours, she opened her eyes and looked back at them. "We'll meet her at the ruins. If she's the one that's going to be sent there, then we need to be there to stop her." She stood up and flicked the hair off her shoulder. "Keep an eye on her. We'll know when to leave, correct?" she asked, her eyes glued on Nayl. He nodded.

"We'll let you know." he assured her. She stared for another second, and then turned on her heels and stalked out of the door. Roi glanced at the two men and rose an eyebrow.

"She's a ray of sunshine, isn't she." he said sarcastically. Nayl rolled his eyes.

"She tries to hard to be an extremely bright ray of sunshine." he stated. He gathered all of his papers. "According to her, though, we're going to keep watch on Lightning."

"How are we going to do that?" Roi asked, putting his hands on the table. Nayl scratched his head. He twiddled his fingers a little, and then clenched his palms together. His face was pure and determined, thoughtful and hopeful, and very into his plan.

"We'll send men to hide away from her. They'll stay close enough that they can see her every move, but far enough away that she won't know they're there." he concluded. Veran nodded in agreement.

"It sounds like a good plan." he stated. Roi stared at them in disbelief.

"Do you not remember what she has accomplished?" he asked, standing up. "She's the one who was able to track down the Pulse enemy before they actually reached the meadow during the battle two years ago. She was the only one in command who could basically sense when someone was following her. There is no way we are getting away with that."

Veran and Nayl exchanged a glance at each other. Roi didn't like the look very much. Nayl spoke first. "Roi, when you hit her on the head…" he paused.

Roi stiffened. "What's going on?"

"Roi, you must understand why we didn't tell you this." Veran said. "We thought that you wouldn't want to continue your job here with us."

"What are you talking about?" Roi asked, getting angrier the longer they stalled the conversation.

Nayl sat up. "When you hit her, what part of her head did the pipe connect with?"

"I don't know. Why would I remember that?" he asked, but immediately thought back to when it happened. The weight of the heavy pipe, the painful steps it had taken him to reach her. How bad he felt even thinking about doing what he did. The very thought of hurting her had sickened him, even though now it just felt like a necessity. The hard crunch that he heard as the pipe hit her in the head. The impact of the first hit was hard enough to deal with, but having to do it a second time…he was barely able to survive.

As the memory replayed, he tried to think of the exact spot it had hit. The side of her head. The first hit had landed on the right. The second landing spot was tricky to determine, but he thought that it had also been on the right. The area that was just to the right of her eye…

His eyes widened in horror. He looked up at Nayl and Veran, who were sitting quietly, waiting for his next response. "The temple."

Nayl nodded. "When we put her on the train, we had some men watch over her and check her vitals to make sure she'd be alright, and they found the bruise. They said all other injuries were minor, ones that she wouldn't suffer from. But the blow to the head…" he took a breath. "Well, they're not sure how much she would remember."

Roi dropped his hands to his side. "You mean to tell me that the whole time I was here thinking that she was just fine and dandy, she was really suffering from amnesia?" His voice was cold and filled with despise.

"Like we said…" Veran leaned forward in his chair. "We weren't sure if you would still want to work as hard on this if you knew. We couldn't risk that. We need your help, Roi, and you can't walk out on us."

"I wouldn't have. I know my place, I knew what needed to be done, and if she has amnesia, then she won't remember my betrayal." he said.

Nayl sighed. "I'm sorry we didn't tell you sooner, then."

Roi sat down again. "Don't worry about it. You did what you thought was best." he mumbled. "So, should we send Niko's forces to watch her?"

"No, we'd like to send some of yours. You have more experience training troops, and you know Lightning better than any of us. You can teach them ways to avoid her attacks if she does notice them." Veran explained. "You are to teach them the ways to survive as a ghost around her. You start tomorrow."

He nodded, and stood up. "Very well. Thank you." he said as he exited the door.

Veran turned to Nayl, who still sat in his chair, playing with the armor on his shoulder. "Do you think he'll succeed?"

The admiral was silent for a moment. His fingers played with the straps on his armor, memorizing the pattern. "If anyone has a chance, he does. If he fails, then Cocoon is doomed."


	9. Men With Weapons Can Be Paranoid

(( Okay, so basically all we had to do with our internet was re-connect our modem… -__-'. So, it's working now, and here is the next chapter. Just so you know, things are getting harder to interpret the further into the plot I try to go. Things could very well be slow going after this. And I recently heard that Sera's real name is in fact Oeurba Dia Vanille, or something like that. I'll stick with Sera, though, since everyone knows her by that. Hope you enjoy!!))

Chapter 8

A sharp chill awoke Lightning from her deep sleep. Her eyes shot open and she instinctively crossed her arms to warm up her torso. She took a look at the forest she was in and noticed that the sky was dark and cloudy. She felt tiny raindrops land on her skin and sighed.

"This would happen." she said negatively. She got up and strapped her bag to her leg and crushed the remaining pieces of the small campfire with her boot. She looked around, back toward the small village. She wondered if they had an inn that she could stay at. If not, she didn't know where she would go.

She shook her head and started back toward the village. At least there was shelter there, even if the people were annoying. They were too friendly. Too accepting. It wasn't like she wasn't used to them, she didn't know what she was used to. It was just that it didn't seem like she'd ever been around people like them before. She assumed that she'd handle them better if they were hostile.

Right outside of the village boundaries, she spotted the blonde haired guy; Snow, she remembered; and the red, pigtailed girl; Sera. They were talking to each other as they sat under cover outside of what looked like a small bar. Maybe it was the inn. But then again, why would they be sitting outside of the inn when they both had a house? It was a bar, she concluded.

"Great, just great." she muttered to herself as she walked out of the forest and into the village without avoiding their gaze. Snow smiled a huge, happy grin. Sera smiled and waved.

"Hey! Over here!" she called. Snow was waving for her to go over to them.

Lightning sighed and; the reason unknown even to herself; walked over to them, sitting down in an empty seat. She set her elbows on the table and put her face in her hands.

Snow chuckled a low chuckle and patted her on the back. The force of it pushed her body forward each time his hand connected with her back. "You're all wet. I'm guessing you didn't sleep well."

She frowned. "You think?" she eyed him. "And don't get all buddy - buddy with me. I still don't remember you."

He stopped and the smile wiped away from his face. "Still harsh, I see." he leaned back in his wooden chair. Sera looked between them.

"So, you said that you don't remember, right?" she asked. She noticed Snow give her a 'what are you doing' look. Lightning's eyes focused on her.

"Yes. Why?" Her eyes were filled with suspicious curiosity.

"Well, there's this place you can go to, so I've heard, that will help you get your memory back." Sera stated. Lightning rose an eyebrow.

"How can a place bring back someone's memory?" she asked, very interested in the topic.

Sera took a breath, then looked up at the dark sky. "I can't remember all of the exact details, but I read that Pulse has a crystal that keeps all the things living here alive. It's like a guardian of our people. It is the thing that keeps everything here going." She glanced at Lightning to see what she was thinking. She was staring at her, completely into the subject. "I also read that if someone were to make a deal with the crystal, then it would do a favor for that person."

Lightning was quiet. She wanted to know where it was, what it was that she needed to do, but she wanted to do it alone. "Where is this crystal?"

Sera shrugged. "In one of the sets of ruins."

"How many sets of ruins are there?"

Snow cleared his throat. "Only two." he said. "But they're in opposite directions. One is north, and one is south. The south one is only a couple of days journey, but the north one.." He trailed off.

"The north is a weeks journey." Sera finished.

"A week?" Lightning asked. "That's too far."

"Then we can take you to the south ruins first. See if the crystal is there." Sera smiled her happy - go - lucky smile. Lightning glanced over at Snow, who sat quietly and now out of the conversation.

"I'd like to go myself." she finally stated. Sera slowly looked over at Snow, who did the same. They both laughed. "What?"

"Look, you just got here, what, yesterday? There's no way you know where exactly the ruins are, and if you get lost in the south, you may not be able to get back, which means that you'd die of either hunger, exhaustion, thirst, or all three at once." Snow stated. "Besides, do you even know which way south is?"

Lightning looked around, then pointed. "That way. The sun always rises in the east."

Snow glanced at Sera, who shrugged. "How did you know that? I mean, the sun isn't even out today."

"Yesterday it fell that direction." She pointed west. "So that must mean that this is east." She pointed east. "That's north." She pointed north. "And that means that this is south." Her finger landed in the direction of south."

Sera let out a low whistle. "Wow, she's good." Snow harrumphed.

"Okay, then you can try to find your way there. If you die, it was good to see you again." Snow stood up and left, knocking over his chair while he did so. He left it down.

Lightning watched him leave. "He's not all that into talking today, is he." she said.

"Apparently not when you came over. He takes the fact that you don't remember him very hard." Sera told her.

"Well, it's not my fault I don't remember him. I don't even remember anything about my past. Not even family." she said, justifying herself.

"I know, I know. Don't worry. He can be a big baby." she admitted. "But he's just taking this hard, like I said. Give him time. He'll get over this."

Lightning nodded once and ran her fingers through her soaked strawberry pink hair. They caught in a tangle and she winced. She clenched her teeth as she attempted to rip through it unsuccessfully. "Just wonderful." she sighed. Sera smiled.

"Do you want some help?" she asked, pulling out a handmade brush made out of what looked like bones. Lightning shrugged and Sera got up, walking behind her. She moved Lightning's hand and began to lightly run the comb through it. When she came to the knot, she gently combed over it over and over again until it was gone. "No more knot." she said optimistically.

"Um, thanks." Lightning mumbled as Sera sat back down. She glanced south and stared. She wondered when they were planning on leaving and what they would find when they got there. Sera, somehow reading her mind, smiled.

"You wanting to leave now?" she guessed. Lightning looked over at her and nodded.

"I want to know what I'm missing." she told her, tapping her fingers on the table.

Sera's already bright face lit up with a grin. "Well, let's go, then."

"What?" Lightning asked, sitting up straight. "We can actually go?"

"Well yeah. I'm not going to keep you from finding out about your past. I have no right. So, let's go." she said, standing up. She tucked the comb away in her small bag. She noticed Lightning still sitting. "Well come on, get up. We can't leave if your sitting."

Lightning breathed heavily and got up, straightening her white vest. "Alright then, lead the way." she said somewhat angrily. She hated the fact that this hyper, annoying person had to lead her anywhere. Sera, on the other hand, was ecstatic. She skipped along in front of her, leading her to a small cottage. A person sat in front of it, staring at the rapidly falling rain, then at them. His eyes got wide when they stalled on Lightning and he got up and hurriedly stumbled into the house. She tilted her head curiously. Sera glanced back at her.

"Oh, don't worry about him. He's always like that. Just likes to warn the owner about customers."

"Warn?" Lightning asked. Sera didn't answer. "Did you say 'warn'."

The pigtailed girl paused mid-step. "Uh…yeah." she shrugged. "I guess I did."

Lightning stopped walking. That was never a good sign. The urgent look on the girls face, however, told her to keep going. She shook her head and continued following her to the entrance of the house. Sera halted her walk at the door. She took in a deep breath and opened the door. She entered, slipping inside. Lightning followed, slipping through the crack in the doorway.

As her head came inside the room, a loud bang echoed through the room. She felt a strong wind whiz past her ear and her eyes widened in alarm. Did Sera lead her to some sort of trap? She quickly looked at the counter, where an older man with a rather large bow stood, the arrow now in it pointing directly at her. "Don't move." he ordered. She slowly turned her face to look at the wall doorframe beside her. Only an inch from her face was a blue feathered arrow sticking straight out.

She looked at Sera, who was smiling sheepishly. "What's going on here?" she asked. Her piercing gaze turning to the man again.

"We don't allow your lot in here." he answered, his eyes just as narrow and threatening as hers.

Sera snorted. "Don't worry about her. She's fine. Now put the weapon down…" He moved it to aim at her as the other man; the man from outside; pulled out a shotgun, pointing it at Lightning.

"Whoa. Okay, I'd rather have the bow in my face." she said as she backed up, putting her hands over her head. The two men switched targets. Sera gasped.

"Wait, you know me. Don't point at me!" she shrieked. The man with the shotgun lowered his arm.

The man with the bow kept his gaze on Lightning, but spoke specifically to Sera. "Who is this? Sera, you're friends with her?"

Sera shrugged. "Her name's Lightning. She has amnesia." she informed. The man peered over at her.

"But she's one of them." he protested. Lightning rose an eyebrow.

"Them?" she asked. The man immediately brought his attention back to her, the arrows destination set. "Okay, okay…"

"Obviously not anymore." Sera said. The man stared at the woman at the door and scanned her. He noted her sword.

"How do we know she's not faking everything?"

Sera snorted again. "Like she could hurt anyone in the state she was in when I found her." she told him.

Lightning looked up, annoyed once again. "Hey, I could have taken any one of you out if I had been AWAKE." she announced. The men backed up and the man pulled out the shotgun again. Sera smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand.

"Would you shut up for one moment?" she huffed. Lightning rose both eyebrows in surprise. Sera never spoke like that. She admired that.

"Sure."

Sera turned her full attention to the men. "She's fine. Snow knows her. Or used to know her…"

The man lowered his bow. "Villiers? He knew a _woman_?" he asked, something along the lines of humor hinting in his voice. Sera scoffed.

"What am I?" she asked. The men laughed softly.

"Not a woman in Snow's eyes." They chuckled. The man with the arrows cleared his throat. "Are they…?"

Lightning stared with a disgusted look. "I am _not_ assumed of being his _girlfriend_, am I?" she asked, the thought revolting to her.

The man hesitated. "I'll take that as a no." He put the bow down. "Sorry about the inconvenience, ma'am. How can I help you two?"

Lightning put her hands down and pulled out the arrow from the doorframe, walking over to the counter. She set it down in front of the man. "I don't even know what this place is. Talk to Sera."

As if summoned, Sera appeared swiftly by her side. "We're here to get supplies." she said. The men stifled a laugh, their faces turning red with the attempt. "What's wrong now?" she asked, wondering what could possibly be so funny about this.

"Supplies for what? A beauty trip?" the shotgun man sniggered.

Sera's face wrinkled up in disdain. "No, I'm escorting her to the ruins in the south."

They immediately halted their monstrous laughter and stared. The bow and arrow guy went suddenly serious. "Just you two?" he asked. There was a hint of some kind of emotion in there, but Lightning couldn't place it. Amusement? Disbelief? Some strange amount of fear for them? Maybe all. "I mean, it's dangerous out there. Can you even fight, Sera?" Definitely some father - daughter thing going on here.

Sera rolled her eyes. "Yes, I can. You yourself taught me how to handle a bow and arrow, remember?"

He calmed, straightening up again. "Yes, of course I do. You're a natural." His eyes flitted to Lightning. "Can YOU fight?"

She tilted her head, her eyes narrow. "Should I show you?" she challenged. He smirked.

"All right, I'll take that as a yes." he said, this time amused. He cleared his throat again. "So, what can I get you, exactly?"

Sera smiled. "I'll trust you with that."


	10. Sand and more Sand

**((Hey, sorry that it took me a while to get this up. I've been busy. Okay, so the character Roi...he is NOT Noctis. He is my own character. One that I've had for years. Sorry for the confusion. I've heard that quite a bit, and i don't want to hear it anymore. Thank you for reading on, if you have stuck with the story since the beginning. Love you all!))**

Chapter 9

"…so then I said that he'd better start treating me better or I'd put an arrow through his foot." Sera continued her ranting about her past issues as her and Lightning walked through the sand that was now inches deep. Lightning had dealt with her constant chatter the whole five hours that they'd been on the journey, but had learned to tune her out and concentrate on the task at hand. Her eyes scanned across the vast desert and brownish yellow sand. There wasn't a thing in sight, besides Sera, but she'd seen her enough. She wanted something else to look at. Something interesting. She noticed that when Sera was excited, her eyes turned very bright green, and when she was angry, they dimmed and narrowed. The rest of the scenery was the same everywhere. Every once in a while she'd see a less-than-healthy cactus, and considered cutting into it to see what she could get. Maybe she could use the liquid as a sunscreen.

"Are you even listening?" Sera's voice interrupted her thoughts. She stopped immediately, causing the girl to bump into her. "Hey!"

Lightning looked at her. "What do you want now?" she asked. Her eyes were tired and irritated, but very focused. "If you don't mind being quiet, I'd like to actually pay attention to what we're doing."

Sera shrugged. "I just thought maybe you'd like to know that we need to go that way now." she pointed in the direction of basically the same exact thing they had been looking at for hours now.

"How do you know we go that way?" she asked, staring at the empty space. Sera sighed.

"The map, how else?" she held out the map. "Now would you quit being so observant? There's nothing to see out here anyway. Might as well talk."

Lightning changed directions to where Sera was pointing. "I'd prefer to be observant." she stated as she continued walking. The girl pouted, but kept quiet as her acquaintance viewed their surroundings. "How much farther away is it?" she looked at the map.

Sera's finger pointed out the blank spot that was circled. "There." Lightning eyed the map, then looked up at Sera, then back at the map.

"Are you sure about this?" she asked. "I mean, those guys weren't exactly helpful back at the store. Well, not to me, at least…" she rolled her eyes at the memory.

The girl examined the map again, matching the very few cactus with those on the map. "They may have been pretty paranoid, but they would never let us die in the desert." she took a few more steps in the right direction. "If they wanted us dead, they would've just killed us the easier way."

Lightning nodded a couple of times. "Makes since." She watched Sera as she examined a cactus. "What's so special about that thing?"

The pigtailed wonder took out her dagger and dug it into the cactus. It wasn't until that that Lightning noticed the brighter color of the cactus. She tilted her head. "This cactus…" Sera took out her canteen and mixed the liquid with the water. "…has juice that you can mix with water. It will cool your system down for at least a few hours. Pretty helpful when you're in the desert." she explained as she put the cap on her canteen and shook it. "Your turn, Strawberry."

Lightning rose an eyebrow at her. "Strawberry?" she asked, some sort of strange amusement covering her tone. Sera put her hand behind her head.

"Well, you have strawberry pink hair, so why not?" she answered. She sighed and took Lightning's canteen from her, mimicking what she did for herself.

As Sera did that for her, Lightning took the time to examine some more of the scenery. She noticed a very small bulge on the horizon. She squinted her eyes to get a better look, but it didn't help much. "Hey, what's that?" she asked. Sera looked over as she capped the canteen and handed it to her.

"I'm…not sure, exactly." she admitted. Lightning peered over.

"…exactly?" She hooked the canteen onto her bag. "What do you mean 'not sure, exactly'?"

"Well, there are two possibilities." she started, sitting on the sand by the cactus. Her head got very close to the spikes. Lightning decided not to warn her. It could get funny. "One, that's the ruins that we're looking for, even though we aren't due to reach them until midday tomorrow. Or two, that's a small sand ship."

Lightning sat next to her. "Well, how can we be that close to the ruins, if that's what it is? Did we maybe make it on a different route?"

"No, but the last time someone found them, they were lost. It could be that they guess-timated wrong. Maybe they added a day to the trip on accident." she leaned back. She yelped as her back connected with the many spikes on the cactus. Lightning laughed at the scene. Sera, frantically attempting to get the spikes out of her back, glanced at her.

"_Could you PLEASE help me out here!?_" she exclaimed, bouncing up and down from the stinging.

Lightning got up, trying to control her giggling as she pulled spike after spike out of her. "Good thing they're small, right? Wouldn't want a big one in you. It might be more painful to get out."

"Ha ha, funny. Seriously, you should entertain the village with your jokes. I hope you get kicked out." she said as the last spike was pulled off her back. "How bad is it?"

"You'll live." Lightning said. She walked a few feet ahead and stared at the mystery object. "What do you say we go check it out?"

Sera scrunched up her face, considering the possibilities. "Well, if it's a sand ship, then we have no way of knowing what's in there. There could be some Cocoon soldiers, sand pirates; yes there are some of those around here; or it could possibly be nothing." she said, walking over to stand next to her. "So, I say we go."

"If there's anything scary in there, I'll protect you." Lightning teased, then walked in the things direction. Sera made a face, but followed after her. The sand on the way over there got deeper and deeper the further they went, and by the time they were less than a mile away, both of their boots were filled with sand. Sera was whining as she tried to kick the sand out, failing miserably, but other than that, she was fairly quiet.

At this distance, they could tell that it wasn't the ruins, but it wasn't a sand ship either. Or at least it didn't look like one. Lightning paused and glanced at Sera questioningly. "So, what is it?"

Sera stopped kicking her boot and looked up. She examined it. "Um….I don't know, actually. It's not any ship that I've seen." she started sprinting toward it. "Come on, Strawberry! Keep up!"

Lightning rolled her eyes, and started running after her. "Stop calling me that, already." She didn't get an answer.

The only sound was their feet pounding against the sandy ground, sloshing through the thick sand layer. The strawberry haired woman gritted her teeth at the feeling of the sand in her boots. It was gritty and uncomfortable. Sera didn't seem to mind it anymore, considering the fact that they were now only around ten feet away from the object. A few feet later Sera skidded to a halt, soon mimicked by Lightning. "Wow! It _is_ a sand ship. An old one, at that." she stared at the pile of rust and beat up metal.

"Okay, what's so special about it? It's not like it can get us anywhere. Look at all this rust." she pointed at the door, which was so rusted that the door wasn't able to open up.

Sera waved her hand at her. "Oh, it'll work, all right. I can get it to work." she worked at the door, jamming a loose piece of metal into the crease. She used all her muscle, which wasn't much, but eventually managed to pry the door open. "You first."

Lightning rolled her eyes again and stepped in, ducking her head under. It wasn't as bad on the inside. At least things were still put together…

Sera came in behind her, but failed to do so as gracefully as Lightning had. Her head slammed against the top of the door and she yelped. "Oh, come on!" she yelled at the door. Lightning sniggered.

"I don't think it can understand you." she said as she looked around the small, one room operating center. "There's not much room in here, is there?"

"Nope. It's built for speed. Not much of a defensive mechanism in here either." she noted, scanning the control panel. "Whatever defense they did have is long gone."

Lightning looked over at her. "Long gone?" she went over to where Sera stood and examined the panel as well. "Where'd it go?"

Sera shrugged. "Don't know. Seems like someone's already been here."

"How could someone get in here if we had such a hard time opening the door ourselves?" Lightning asked.

"They could have come by years ago. Back then, the door was probably rust free. This thing could've been here for decades." She ran her fingers along the panel, feeling the texture of it. When she pulled her hand away, loose rust lightly decorated it.

Lightning thought about that for a moment. If it had been here for decades, how could the parts be in good enough shape to start working again? "So, you can get it working?"

Sera stared at the panel for a second longer, then looked at her. "I'm not sure. It wouldn't hurt to try, though. If I can get it started, it'll take us half the time to get to the ruins." she told her.

"Well, let me know if I can help." Lightning said, clearing off two of the three chairs.

The girl didn't answer. Instead, she lay down on the ground and opened up a panel underneath. She started playing with the wires, unhooking them and examining the circuit board. "Looks like the circuit board's been fried." she said, scooting out from under, sitting back up. "We may be able to fix it up a little from the outer shell of the ship."

Lightning opened the door. "What do I need to get?" she asked, putting one foot out of the ship.

"Just bring me a bunch of scrap metals. I'll see what I can do with that." Sera ordered. Lightning nodded and stepped out. The sun blinded her at first, but she blinked the light back and studied the outer shell. She noticed a few small bits of scrap metal laying on the ground and she picked them up. She doubted they'd do anything for Sera's attempt. She scanned the actual ship for more useable pieces, and found a few bigger scraps of metal. She noticed a design engraved along the hull. Her curiosity peaked and she wiped the dust off of the hull in front of her and examined it. There were thick lines all over the hull, ones that looked like lights of some sort.

She felt the texture, only feeling the small bump of the lines. She sighed and blew the hair out of her eyes. As she walked away, her eyes fell on the shoulder armor she wore. It had the same texture. Her eyes widened and she took off the armor, holding it up close to the hull. Hers was a little bit more modern looking, but all in all it was almost exactly the same.

She bolted inside and re-attached the armor to her shoulder. "Hey, Sera?" she called. Sera was sitting in one of the chairs, examining the rest of the damage.

"Yeah? Hey, did you get the stuff?" She looked back to meet her gaze. Her eyes fell on the pile in her arms. "Oh good. That might help." She got up and plucked the pile from Lightning's arms.

"The hull, there's a pattern on it." she explained, then held her shoulder close to her. "Just like this."

Sera froze. "Um, yeah. That's on a lot of things." She went back under the control panel and started working on the circuit board.

"But why do I have it, too?" she asked, pressing the matter further.

Sera shrugged. "I don't know. I'm not you."

"Well I know that one, genius." Lightning gave her and annoyed look. "But you don't have any clue what this is?"

Sera let out a breath. "It's Cocoon's pattern. That's military equipment that you're wearing." she stopped her work and looked up at her. "I don't know if that means you killed a military member, or if you were in their forces, but that's what it is."

Lightning stood still. Her mind wandered. There were so many mysteries behind her past that she didn't know where to start. She wanted to know how she acquired the armor, she wanted to know how she had gotten here, and she more than anything wanted to know who exactly she was.

"Okay, can you hand me that short, thin piece?" Sera asked, snapping her out of her subconscious. Lightning bent down and grabbed the piece, sitting on her knees. Sera took it from her. "Thanks."

"So, how exactly are you going to fix this?" she asked as her eyes fell on the mess that was the circuit board.

"Easy. The only thing damaged here was the board itself. I figured if I could detach all of the wires and memory sticks from it, then I could safely re-attach them to another piece of metal around the same size." she explained. "Looks like I was right."

Lightning watched as she stuck the wires back onto the metal bit. It looked difficult, but Sera handled it without hesitation. After only a minute, she scooted out and reconnected the board to the inside.

"Alright, let's see how this works." she sat in the chair again and wiped off the buttons. Lightning sat in the other clean seat and kept out of the way. Sera pressed a series of buttons and listened carefully. The engine sputtered a couple of times and then died out. Sera breathed out heavily.

"The engine needs repairs.." she informed her sadly. "That'll take a while."

"Well, we'd either better hurry, or get going on foot. We're going to run out of water and food." Lightning said. Sera nodded.

"Let me get started, find out what's wrong with it. Then we can decide what'll need to happen." she suggested.

"Sounds good." Lightning agreed. "Now go. Find out what it needs."

Sera shot up out of the chair and pranced out of the ship. Lightning shook her head and got up, slower than Sera, but fast enough that she could get outside to help her acquaintance. A loud clicking emitted from the engine. "Got it!" Sera yelled. She slammed the hull shut and dashed around the corner. She ran right into Lightning. "Hey, get back inside. The engine was just unplugged."

Lightning smiled and got inside, followed by her newly found mechanic. They sat in the seats and started the ship. They both smiled brightly as the ship lifted off the ground and they steered it in the direction of the ruins.


	11. A Planor Aeon Trouble

Chapter 10

Roi stood in front of his troops, trying to find the words that he was supposed to say. He stared at each of his troop members. They were all waiting for him to speak, some were more impatient looking, and some were waiting quietly with no expression on their faces. He looked at his clothes and straightened his vest.

"We have been reassigned." he announced. There was a murmur that erupted from the crowd. "As you well know, Lightning was banished about a week ago. I was at a meeting with the admiral, who had information on the prophecy." He watched as all of the soldiers faces changed to ones of intrigue. "We believe that Lightning is that woman. We made the mistake of not taking away her weapons, and General Ava is angered. She told us to keep an eye on her. That is what we are here for today. This troop has been assigned to keep an eye on her down in Pulse." A flurry of questions and statements flooded across the troop, many soldiers afraid, many of them ashamed. "I am going to teach you how to keep away from her, how to deal with her if she ever finds out you're following her, and how to take care of yourselves."

There was a quick silence now. One that came all too quick. A few men shuffled in their spots. One looked around uneasily, and then gazed over at Roi. "Sir, how do we do this, exactly?"

Roi smiled encouragingly. "That's the spirit, soldier." He stared his troops down. "This is the kind of behavior I expect from each and every one of you." he said. "You need to be positive, you need to maintain the information I am going to give you. I know how she fights, and I know how to defend against her. You are to use this against her only if she finds you and attacks you first." There were nods in the crowd. "We start now."

**Somewhere in the desert…**

The sand ship rumbled noisily across the sand, closing in on the ruins. They were more like broken pillars than ruins, but if the crystal was in there, Lightning wasn't going to complain. At least there was a stone floor, from what she could see. She couldn't tell if there was a roof on some parts or not, but she could've sworn that she saw something shiny on the roof. She removed her gaze from the bright thing of mystery and looked at Sera, who was incredibly concentrated on her navigation.

She tapped the girl on the shoulder and smiled in triumph as she jumped an inch off of her seat. Sera looked at her, giving her a look of hate. "You are so RUDE!!" she exclaimed. Lightning laughed lightly.

"I didn't do that to scare you," she started. "Although that was incredibly funny. I just wanted to ask you a question."

The girls face changed to one of surprise. "Oh, okay then. Ask away."

Lightning eyed the shiny spot again. "Where would the crystal be?" she asked. There were so many hidden places in ruins, so she didn't figure that it was on the roof. Then again, she didn't know much of anything around here. This place, and any other place at that, was a mystery to her.

Sera was silent for a moment, her look of all-knowing disappearing. Her eyes closed, but she remembered that she was steering and opened them again. "I'm not sure. It could be anywhere." she answered. "I guess there's always the farthest tomb down, the middle tomb, or tombs, and then there's the first floor. There's no telling. No one has seen the crystal." She hissed at herself. Lightning stared her down.

"No one has seen it? So, how do you know that it's real?" Her eyes were ice again.

Sera sighed. "No one is SURE if it's real. But," she said, before Lightning could yell. "…there have been many clues to its existence. For instance, the Cocoon military has a folder containing information on it." she said.

"Well, then we're DEFINITELY not wasting our time." Lightning replied sarcastically. "If Cocoon has it, then it must be real."

"Oh, come on Lightning. Don't be that way. Besides, it's the only way I can think of to get your memory back." Sera reminded her. Lightning made a growling noise, but kept quiet after that. They stayed silent for the rest of the ten minutes it took to get to the ruins, and then they stood up, nearly hitting their heads on the ceiling. It took them less than a minute to get outside. The heat burst through the opening in the door as they left the musky smell of the rusty ship.

The bright light of the intense sun was starting to lower, creating the many colors of fire that Lightning had laid eyes on the first day she had been on Pulse. Or at least the first day she remembered. The colors bounced off of the tan clay that made up the ruins.

"So," Sera startled her with the sudden high pitched squeal. "Let's get started." Lightning took a step farther into the ruin territory. The sand was softer and thicker here, which she didn't think was possible, considering how much of a desert was already built up in her boots from the previous sand journey.

"Do you have ANY idea of where to start?" Lightning asked, feeling quite red-faced at the fact that Sera hadn't done any more research before pulling them out there.

The girl scratched her head as they walked. She made a low grumbling noise, then sighed. "Not really. I guess start with the basement. That's where it would normally be, I guess," she declared, a proud look spreading halfway across her face.

Lightning rolled her eyes at the enthusiastic look on her face and walked ahead of her, stepping onto the clay floors. Her footsteps echoed in the empty, dead air. Lightning got the creepy impression that all life in this place was sucked out. She already felt hollow. Like her soul had been drained into the heart of the ruins. Something wasn't right about the place.

Apparently she wasn't the only one who thought so, since Sera was rubbing her arms in an attempt to make the goose bumps disappear. "Do you get the feeling we're being watched?" she asked, her eyes darting from one wall to the other.

She shrugged. "Sort of, but I'm not too worried about it. Whatever it is will either run away at the sight of us, or we'll be forced to take action," she said. Sera paused.

"Take…action?" she asked. She watched Lightning enter the set of double doors at the end of the open hallway. "Hey, wait up!"

Inside of the doors, Lightning stopped. It was a chapel, or something along the lines of it. Well, maybe more of a gladiators arena. The large, open room had a wall of short staircases leading to a slightly raised platform on their left side, like it was a place that monks would live in. Columns created a large walkway in the middle, arches hovering above the stairs. Farther off, as Lightning walked closer, she could see fire spewing out of cracks in the floor. She rose an eyebrow.

"This is a desert, right?" she asked Sera. The girl nodded, her eyes glued to the cracks in the floor as well.

"Yeah," she answered, taking another step closer. "I wonder what that could be."

"That would be fire," Lightning stated sarcastically. Sera rolled her eyes.

"I know that, I just meant that it shouldn't be happening."

Lightning walked up to the spewing crack. She stayed far enough away, but even from that distance, she could feel the extreme heat. Her forehead began to break out in a slight sweat. "Strange."

As silence strung itself out around them, a fierce rumbling shook the ruins, snapping Lightning out of her confused thoughts. She stepped away from the fire and backed toward Sera, going down the stairs carefully. Sera clung to a pillar, her left eye closed, but her right eye glued to the fire. "What's going on, Lightning?"

"Like I know," she yelled over the sudden loud, crumbling noise. She looked up and saw the rest of the roof fall down onto the ground. She stepped under an arch as a large chunk fell where she had stood. With one arm, she reached out and pulled Sera under with her, keeping a hand on her shoulder as the roof collapsed. Everything after that fell uncomfortably silent. The fire stopped, the roof stopped falling, and the eerie feeling just got worse.

Suddenly, the fire shot out of the ground again, only this time, floor chunks the size of the sand ship they had been in flew up with it, and in the middle of it all was a large creature. Lightning stood, awestruck, as the creature landed with incredible grace and ferocity that it was impossible. Sera took a step back, leaning against a piece of the roof. "Hey, Lightning, I don't think this is the place to be right now."

Lightning stared, but nodded. She kept her gaze on the creature as she felt her way through the mess that had surrounded them. She carefully backed up over debris, motioning for Sera to do the same. The creature was unaware of their presence there, and she wondered how smart it really was.

A loud _THUNK_ sounded through the air and Lightning looked over. Sera was standing on a piece of debris, and half of it was rolling on the ground. She quickly looked at the creature and gasped as it ran at Sera. The girl screamed and Lightning burst into action. In one fluid movement, she switched her sword into her hand and leapt into the air, taking an extra _umph_ from a piece of rubble. She soared through the air and her feet landed on the creatures back, the sword finding a new holster in it's neck.

It's skin was so hot that Lightning could feel the fire through her boots and she bit down a scream of pain. She pulled her sword out and quickly leapt off of it. The creature, after screeching from the new sword wound, spun around and looked at her. She got a good look at it's face now that it was looking straight at her. It had what looked to her like armor wrapped around it's entire face, it's small, beady yellow eyes staring at her with rage. It's teeth were sharp and pointed, bared at her.

It's thick, furry arms padded at the ground in a sudden movement, rushing at her. It jumped, already straight above her. Without much time to think about what she was doing, she rolled sideways, barely dodging the attack. It's claws dug into the ground where she had been standing less than two seconds ago. She heard a fast, whizzing , followed too closely by the creature's loud screech.

She looked to the side and saw Sera with her bow in hand. She had a satisfied smirk on her face. The creature wasn't all that phased, however. It was only more angry than before. It let out an animalistic roar and leapt onto the pillar closest to it. It jumped from pillar to pillar, hoping to avoid any moves made by its enemies.

"Lightning?" Sera asked. Lightning looked over and walked back to her, watching the creatures movements as she did. "What's going to happen now?"

In response, Lightning tightened her grip on the sword. "We fight. That's all we can do." she replied. Sera sighed and gripped her bow, pulling an arrow tight into place. She aimed it at the creature as Lightning transformed her blade into a gun, pointing it at their attacker. Both women prepared for pain, or even worse, saying their goodbyes to everything they knew, and Lightning, apologizing to Snow in her head. She wanted a clean conscience when they died.

As the creature stopped on a pillar and gathered its strength, it eyed them. Watched their every move, and just when Lightning thought that maybe they'd be able to walk away, it shot at them. Lightning grabbed Sera's arm and pulled her out of the way. As they hit the ground, she was momentarily stunned by the impact of the girl bouncing off of her and the crack that she heard in her head as it hit the stone, but she could've sworn she heard several gunshots and what sounded like a little Chocobo. Then again, if she did hit her head, there was a possibility of her hallucinating.

Her vision came in and out, but it eventually focused on the sky, and the face of Sera who stared at her in concern. "Hey, you okay?" she asked. Lightning shook the daze out of her head and sat up. Her hand cradled her head, but her eyes landed on the body of the creature. It was dead, or so she thought. Maybe it was another trick.

She looked at Sera with a confused look on her face. "Did you…?" she started to ask, but stopped when the girl simply shook her head.

"I don't know what happened," she admitted. "You pulled me out of the way, we collided, you collided with the ground, I collided with the wall. We were both too busy colliding with things to notice."

Lightning scowled. "Are you saying I shouldn't have pulled you out of the way?" she asked. Sera shook her head vigorously.

"No, not at all!" she exclaimed. "I am very thankful. That's not the first time you've pulled my butt outta danger. And it probably won't be the last. But no matter how many times you do, I will always be extremely grateful."

Lightning nodded, standing up. "Well, this was a lovely experience. Anything else I should know before we find the crystal?" she asked. Sera shrugged. She opened her mouth to answer, but was swiftly interrupted by a smooth, husky voice.

"The crystal's not here," the voice stated. "Just thought you'd like to know."


	12. A New Member, An Old Ally

Chapter 11

Lightning and Sera both stopped in their tracks. They peeked over their shoulders at the man who addressed them. Lightning rose an eyebrow at him as she took in his appearance. He wore a smile that was as wide as the room they were in, maybe wider. It didn't look like anything could ruin his day, but then again, she could be wrong. He was dark-skinned, his black hair up in a cushiony fashion. She wondered how long it took him to get it like that. His dark eyes were curved in a happy expression, due to his smile. His clothes were bright yellow, matching a small lump of something furry tucked under his arm.

"Did you hear me?" he asked. She was surprised he could speak with his mouth stretched that big. She nodded.

"Sure," she said. He walked over to them with such a bouncy step that she was surprised he didn't just skip on over. He held out his hand.

"I'm Sazh Katzroy. Pleased to make your acquaintance again… um…" he paused, fumbling over words. His eyes lit up in memory and he shook her hand harshly. "Lightning! I can't believe I forgot your name!" he exclaimed.

She tilted her head and stared at him curiously. She didn't recognize him. Then it struck her that she didn't necessarily remember anything from her past, so it didn't justify anything. "Yes. Obviously you know me."

His smile faded a little, but he looked at Sera. "Hello. Who are you?" He grabbed her hand and shook it.

She smiled too. "I'm Sera. Nice to meet you, Sazh."

His gaze returned to Lightning. He eyed her suspiciously. "Is it true what they say you did?" he asked. She frowned, and his face fell. His eyes curved around in sadness. "Don't you remember?"

She shrugged. "No, not really," she informed him nonchalantly. "Sorry."

He breathed in deeply. "You don't remember me? Or anything?" he asked.

"I don't remember anything but my name," she said, walking over to the fallen creature. She kicked it with her boot, making sure it was really dead. It didn't budge.

A choked sound came from behind her and she turned around. She stared in disbelief at the sight she saw before her. The man, Sazh, was wiping his eyes. "Please tell me you weren't crying."

He put his hand up, wiping his eyes off with his opposite shoulder. "A little," he admitted. She gave him a sickened look.

"Why?" she asked in complete disdain.

Another whimper escaped him. "That's so…sad.." he said, putting his face into the yellow, furry bundle in his arm. She rolled her eyes, then quickly looked back over.

"Did that…thing… just move?" she asked, edging closer to him. He pulled the cradled being away, protecting it even more. She huffed. "I'm not going to hurt it."

He slowly moved back, removing his protecting hand. Lightning leaned in closer. Her face was only a foot away from the bundle. There was a sudden jerk from the thing and it's face whipped around to look her directly in the eyes. Her eyes widened when the thing was an inch away from her. She took a step back and stared at it. "Is that a…"

"Chocobi!" Sera screeched in joy. "Oh my goodness! I haven't seen one in forever. It's so CUTE!!" Lightning covered her ears in protection from the shouting girl.

"Yeah, what's so special about it?" she asked, rubbing her temples. Both Sazh and Sera looked at her with hurt expressions. The chocobi was quiet as well. Lightning felt the sense of the emotion all around the room. She shrugged. "Well, it's just here for looks. Why do you carry it around?"

Sazh cleared his throat, apparently holding back tears. "I saved this little guy," he told her. She rose an eyebrow, but he continued. "He was at a ranch in the north, about to be eaten by the Chocobo eater, when I swooped in and started firing at the thing." His eyes were now full of pride of his actions. "And that's when him and I became best buddies."

Lightning looked up at the sky. It was getting darker by the hour, soon to be pitch black out. If they were going to get out, they needed to now. She glanced at Sazh again, not at all surprised to see him and Sera babying the chocobi. Her face turned annoyed and she stepped over to them. "We need to go," she stated. They both looked at her, confused. "Now."

Sazh tilted his head. "Why now? I've been staying here for quite some time," he said. "Actually, since a day after you were banished."

She stopped and looked at the pillars. "Can you tell me something?" she asked. He shrugged.

"Maybe. Depends on what it is," he said.

She faced him and crossed her arms. "Why was I banished?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I wasn't high enough in the military to hear about it," he answered. "I just heard that you were banished and I got upset. You were a great commander."

Her eyebrows rose in surprise. "Commander?" she asked. She glanced at her shoulder armor. Sera smiled.

"I KNEW that you were well trained," she said. "The way you fight, the armor, and your sense of leadership. That and you're too serious to be normal."

Lightning scoffed. "I'm not too serious."

"I disagree," Sera muttered. The former commander looked at her. Sera put her hands up. "Sorry, but you don't have fun."

Sazh chuckled a little, petting the chocobi that rested in his arms. "Yeah, that's Lightning for you." His voice was quiet, like he was talking to himself, but loud enough for them to hear as well.

She shook her head and went back over to the creature's corpse. She knelt beside it and pulled out a few hairs, slipping them into her bag. She'd do some research when they got back…IF they ever got back. "What is this thing?" she asked, changing the subject. Sazh stopped talking to Sera and straightened up.

"It's called Ifrit," he announced. "A long time ago, people would summon things like him for help in battle."

Lightning, still knelt beside Ifrit, looked back at him. "They used to?"

"Yeah," Sazh and his chocobi sat next to her. "Do you want the story?"

"That's why I'm asking you."

He nodded. "Alright, then. Relax for a little bit, it's a long story."

She sat down, leaned back against Ifrit's comfortable fur. He cleared his throat, peeking back at Sera, who was sat on top of a fallen pillar. "So, there used to be these things called Aeons. They were spirits that helped those still alive, one's that died without fulfilling their life, without doing something to help others. They were powerful beings, trapped inside of small, uncomfortable discs, but when someone called them out, they were released. However, the only way they could be released was if they fulfilled their masters wishes, helped them in battle, carried them on their back, whatever the person wanted them to do." He took a breath, stroking the Ifrit's fur. "A while back, though, when Cocoon and Pulse separated, they were released during the battle of the ruins in the north. The creatures of Pulse released them, ordering them to help destroy Cocoon and it's people." His face was far off in the story. Lightning examined Ifrit again. It's fiery skin was dim and cool. They were in the presence of an ancient being that was prepared to kill them instantly. She was pulled back into the story when he continued.

"All of the aeons went separate ways, each going to an area of Pulse that best suited their elements and needs. Ifrit here is fire, so he came to the desert. I don't know any other aeons, or where they are, but we should be careful wherever we go," he finished.

Lightning perked up. "We? What do you mean "we"?" She watched as Sazh's distant look changed to one of confused pain.

"Well, I saved your life, and I think that I could help you out, since you trained me and all," he informed her. She rolled her eyes again.

"Look, you helped us out, and I thank you for that, but I don't need yet another person trying to help me out," she said. "I work better alone."

"How do you know that if you don't remember anything?" he asked. He had a serene look about him, but she had the feeling he was being sarcastic.

She glared. "I had to fend for myself before I met Sera. I did just fine, alright? I did better than I am now. I didn't have any kids I had to baby sit." Her eyes were fierce and angry. Her annoyance and anger together was so strong that she didn't care what they were feeling about it. She wanted them to leave her. She could find a way out by herself.

Sera frowned. "Yeah, but you would've died from thirst and heat exhaustion if I hadn't found you when I did."

Lightning's eyes pierced into Sera's soul. She shuddered. "I would've been perfectly fine without you," she said rudely. "I can survive. The river was just down the other side of the cliff." Sera's eyes were soft and offended. "I keep having to save your butt anyway."

Sazh sniffed. "Please don't fight anymore. Fighting between friends is sad," he said. Both girls stared in disbelief; Sera's sympathetic and Lightning's disgust. He gulped and pet his chocobi softly. "Sorry, do what it is you want."

"Lightning, just think about it. What if you run into something that you can't handle alone?" she asked. She looked down. "I don't want you to die. You're my friend."

Lightning turned away, staring at Ifrit again. "I'm not your friend, Sera. You're only here to assist me. That's it," she said, examining the creature's face. "And I didn't even want you to come along in the first place."

Sera fell silent, shuffling her feet in a circle. She didn't speak again, and for some odd reason, she didn't care. Okay, so it wasn't so odd. She didn't care about Sera or Sazh. There was no question to why, either. They were both annoying, too caring, too passionate about their friends. In a twisted way, it sickened her. Friends only held her down, kept her from fulfilling her goals. She didn't know why she ever even worried about keeping Sera safe.

She sat down and leaned back against Ifrit, laying her head against it's fluffy fur. She didn't understand why they wouldn't leave. Snow would've, apparently. Why were they so persistent? The thought made her even more irritated.

She felt the heat of someone else's body next to her. Her eyes rolled behind her eyelids. She heard Sera breathe out in defeat. "Do you…" she started. She took another breath. "Do you really want us to leave?" she asked. There was doubt behind her voice, and Lightning wondered why she was even asking, she'd announced it clearly to them.

"What do you think?" she asked, opening her eyes. Her voice was soft, not wanting to offend them anymore. It didn't make her feel any better. Sera sighed, getting up to her feet. She brushed off her skirt.

"I'll tell you what, then…" Her voice wasn't as soft or smooth as before. It was distressed. "We'll leave you alone once we get back to the village, since we're all going to the same place anyway."

"Sounds good," she said, standing up as well. "I'll be free to fight on my own, you'll all be safe, and I'll be better off."

Sazh was quiet, biting the inside of his cheek as he thought, patting his baby Chocobo. "Are you sure you want to be all alone? I mean, you trained me. I could really help," he offered. She looked over at him, her eyes scanning his face.

"No thanks. I'll go alone."

He breathed out, putting his guns in their holsters. "Fine. I'll go to your funeral."

"Excuse me?" she asked, glaring at him. The harshness in her voice returned. He backed up. His eyes were fearful, his free hand up in front of him.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have said anything like that," he apologized. "Please forgive me?"

She sat on the pillar that Sera had been on during the story and shrugged. "Sure." She yawned, laying her head against an upright pillar next to the fallen one. "Get some sleep. We'll be leaving tomorrow morning."

Sazh and Sera nodded, setting up their own spots for the camp out. "Good night, Lightning," Sazh said. His baby Chocobo lay down under his head, allowing him to use it as a pillow. There was a definite loving bond between them, Lightning couldn't deny that. And it was actually somewhat adorable.

"See you in the morning," Sera added, then lay down on the ground against a concrete block from the ceiling.

Minutes later, Lightning heard their light breathing, the breathing of sleep, and smiled. If she could wake up before them, maybe things could go her way after all.


	13. A Chat with Sazh

Chapter 12

They were silent. Statues of purpose; obedient, careful followers. In the military, rising in the ranks involved the quiet, sturdy men and women that paid careful attention to their higher ups. Those that followed the rules were rewarded handsomely. Those who opposed their orders were punished. Severely. In most cases, it was the punishment of banishment, which was bad enough for many people. But with the few exceptions, things involving betrayal of Cocoon by murder, whether it be an ally or civilian, were sentenced to death…

Each and every member stood side by side, their armored bodies straight and tall. All were watching their commander patiently, awaiting their next orders. Their commander, Roi, stood still, staring at a communicator. He had been stuck in that same position for nearly an hour, forcing the men under his command to wait.

Finally, the static of the radio started up and they all straightened up at attention. Roi pressed a button and put it up to his mouth. "Report," he ordered.

There was breathing on the other end, then a deep breath. "Things aren't going quite as planned, sir."

**Desert Ruins:**

The sun was just beginning to rise as Lightning awoke. Her head throbbed from sleeping against stone. She sat up, rubbing her eyes with her hand. They took a minute to adjust to the incoming sunlight and the haze from sleeping all night, but when they focused, she saw Sera was still asleep. To her dismay, she didn't see Sazh. Unless he already left, it was a very big hole in her plan. But if he did leave, it would be much easier to do.

She smiled a little, feeling better already. She could leave now, Sera could get out on her own. She knew where to go, she could survive. She got up slowly, avoiding any noise that would awaken the girl. She attached her bag to her leg and smiled a little. "Good bye, Sera," she whispered softly.

She started for the exit, feeling a small hint of guilt. She didn't know why it was so easy to leave someone without a way home, but it was. For some reason, she really didn't like it. She opened the door, staring out at the sand ship. It was shining in the sunlight. All except for the spots that were rusted, at least…

"Leaving so soon?" Sazh's voice interrupted her thoughts. She froze, her hand still on the door. Her grip tightened on it, her short fuse about to burst.

She glanced back at him. "What are you doing up so early?" she asked. He smiled.

"You trained me, remember?" he said, then thought. "Oh, right, you don't remember… well, you did. Every time I was late on getting up, you'd barge into my room and pour ice cold water all over me." He laughed lightly at the memory. "It was actually kind of fun to irritate you, if you eliminate the fact that you'd make us do more than our usual hundred sit ups two times a day."

She sighed. "Sazh, right?" He nodded. "I want to go alone. I NEED to go alone," she stated. He nodded.

"I understand. But think about this: Sera looks up to you. I can tell," he informed her. She looked at the door, unable to speak. "I used to look up to you, as well. She looks at you with those adoring eyes, those eyes that wish she could fight like you. To be able to protect yourself, it's an amazing ability. She doesn't necessarily like the fact that you have to save her a lot. It's an embarrassing thing to have to deal with."

"She's watched me fight. She can learn from that," she said, leaning back against the other door. He shook his head.

"You can't just leave us here, Lightning. The things you used to believe in, what happened to them?" he asked. She shrugged.

"I don't know what I used to believe in."

He smiled. "Well, let me tell you, then," he leaned against a wall, petting his chocobi. "You used to say that you never leave someone behind. There was always a way to solve the problem AND save a life. There was always a way to deal with each other."

She frowned and looked up at the sky, which was brightening and turning more blue with each passing minute. "I did?" He nodded. "Hmm." She stayed quiet, thinking to herself. Sazh was right. She needed to get them all out. They all needed to survive. She shouldn't be so selfish. So what if Sera got on her nerves? So what if Sazh was a baby? They were people. And all people deserved equal treatment.

"You're right," she said. His face broke out into a smile. "I need to help you guys, then I can leave you." The smile faded again.

"So, either way, you're leaving us?" he asked. She could tell he was extremely upset. A slight sense of pity entered her.

"Pretty much," she stated, closing the door that she had opened. His smile returned. She let out a somewhat exasperated sigh, taking out her sword to clean it up. It was stained from the last few battles she'd been in. The rag that she reached for in her bag was stained as well, and it didn't help that the rag was white. She made a mental note to get a new one sometime soon.

Sazh, who sat beside her, laughed a bit. "That's one dirty rag. Proves how many battles you've been in." She nodded at the statement, but didn't answer. She didn't know what else to say. She wanted to leave, but now she felt a pain inside of her at the thought. A small section of her didn't want to leave them. They were ( and it didn't matter how many times she denied it ) her friends now. They were all connected somehow. She was attached. It may annoy her, but she couldn't help it.

After a long while of silence, she took a breath. "How long was I your commander?" she asked, to his surprise. He chuckled a little.

"A long time," he answered. "I don't even remember how many years it was. I was one of the first people in your troop, which was three years ago." She looked at him, a question too embarrassing to ask on the tip of her tongue. He noticed her doubt and laughed quietly. "Just ask. I won't laugh."

She stayed silent another minute, but opened her mouth to speak. "How did I become commander?"

He stopped laughing. "That's what you were so embarrassed to ask?" he asked. She shrugged. "Okay, then. I'll answer. There was a battle down here on Pulse. Cocoon and it's military were sent here to take care of the problem before it escalated and lead to Cocoons destruction." His voice was distant again. She wondered if this was a habit when he was telling stories. She leaned in closer so she could actually hear him when he started again.

"We went down to battle. There were so many of them, I'm surprised we did it. We fought, and during the battle, your commander and the old admiral were killed in action. Many of us paused our fighting, which caused many more of us to die. You took it very personally. Your commander was like your father. You looked up to him." Lightning's brow furrowed in confusion. She wished, yet again, that she could remember this. "Your anger took control of you. You attacked, your rage was so powerful in you that you took out almost half of them on your own. The battle ended a half an hour later, and over half of Cocoons military that had gone down was dead or dying." He took a deep, painfully slow breath. This memory couldn't be pleasant for him, either.

"When we got back, there was a funeral for those who died to protect the city. You received two badges, one for bravery, and one for your involvement in the battle. After a few days of mourning for the dead, the new admiral, a man named Nayl, offered you a position in place of your commander. You took it, wanting to train a troop that would exceed expectations." He looked up at her finally. The story was coming to an end, she assumed. "And that you did. Your troops, our troops, were the best in the military."

She let the information sink in, thinking it over. She was commander of the best troops. She wanted so badly to remember it. The crystal. She needed to find it, and soon. Her sanity was slowly leaving her the longer her memory was gone, she'd realized. The longer she went not remembering, the more irritable she got. More annoyed, more angry with herself.

She glanced up at him, seeing the sympathetic smile that played along his lips. The smile reminded her of someone. The same smile, half sad, half pity, had come across her before. Only before, it had been on Snow, the first day she remembered meeting him.

"Thanks," she mumbled, the right corner of her mouth twitching upward for a slight second. Sazh's eyebrows rose in surprise, and he stood up straighter.

"Wait," he said. She halted her steps. "Did you just….smile?"

She looked over her shoulder. "Attempted? Yes. Did I smile?…no. Not quite."

He smirked. "That looked like a smile to me," he teased. She shook her head.

"Don't make me regret an attempted smile," she warned, her bright blue eyes shining with happy realization. He chewed on the inside of his lip. What was she thinking? Did she remember something?

Before he could ask, she was walking over to a soundly sleeping Sera. She stood above her and stared down at her. Her boot tapped roughly against the girls shoulder. Sera, quite shocked and rudely woken up, shot off the ground and looked around swiftly. "What's going on?"

"We're leaving," Lightning said informatively. "If you want to catch a ride, you'd better wake up now."

Sera frowned and stood up, dusting herself off. "That was a rude way to wake me up. You could've --"

"I could've what?" Lightning asked, interrupting her. She turned to face her. "Asked you quietly like a mother for you to get up? To keep doing the same thing over and over again for an hour until you actually did wake up? No, you're following me, you can listen to me and wake up any way I wake you up." Her voice was harsh and commanding, but there was a playful hint in her face that Sera saw. It was mainly in her eyes, a bright shining that had settled there. Her mouth was twitching, her lips pressed tightly together in an attempt to keep her smile down. Sera tilted her head.

"Hey, why are you so happy?" she asked. The smile faded. She turned around, ignoring her question.

"So if we leave now, how long will it take us to get back?" she asked, changing the subject away from Sera.

Sazh scratched the stubble on his chin. "I figure maybe until noon, depending on how fast this thing can go," he answered. Sera poked in the conversation.

"It goes kind of slow, but it's way faster than walking," she piped up. He smiled.

"Well then, it sounds like maybe around mid afternoon," he corrected. "Better than walking."

Lightning huffed in semi-silent amusement. "Trust me, you don't even know how much better it is."

Sazh smiled. "Looks like I'm about to find out."

They walked in a triangle toward the sand ship after they exited the chapel-type area; Lightning up front, and Sazh walking side by side with Sera. The three ally's stopped at the hull of the ship. Sera went over to the door and typed in a code. Lightning looked at Sazh.

"She didn't tell me she had a code…" she muttered to him. He chuckled softly.

"Me and her set it last night when you fell asleep," he told her. Her mouth dropped a little and she looked at him.

He shrugged. "We didn't want you leaving us," he explained. His smile widened again. It seemed like there were only two emotions on him: happy and sad. She was curious to see what he was like when he was angry.

Sera yelped in joy as the door slid open. She looked at them triumphantly. "Go on in," she said happily. Lightning was the first to step inside, soon followed by Sazh and an eager Sera. They all sat down, squished together in the three small seats. Lightning groaned.

"If we get any more people in our party, we'd better get an upgrade on this ship," she complained. Sera nodded in agreement.

"I was just thinking the same…" she paused, swinging her head around to look at the usually serious, angry woman. "Wait, in OUR party?" she asked.

Lightning shrugged, leaning back in the chair. She cleared her throat. "I mean, if we run into anyone else on the way back. You know, stranded people, those who are stuck out here and need a way home," she corrected quickly.

Sazh smiled and looked out the front windshield, as Sera sighed. "Right. I don't know what I was thinking."

"I don't know. Looks like you're getting too attached to me," Lightning said, giving a knowing look over to Sazh, who smiled in an approving manner.

He leaned over to Lightning's ear. "I don't know what you're doing, but I have the feeling that it's not what I would've expected from you," he complemented.

She smiled lightly and looked out the window. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said, the same small smile playing lightly on her lips. He rose an eyebrow and turned back to the window, a mix between confusion and approval lining his facial features. Things might turn out just fine after all.


	14. History and More Aeons

Chapter 13

The ship rumbled over the sand, spraying dust and grit in huge, brown clouds. It's large size made it incredibly difficult to avoid the thick, green cacti that were spread all about the landscape. The hull, already beat up and rusted as it was, had begun to fall apart. The engine had started to smoke and sputter out as they reached the mile marker to the village, and bits and pieces of cactus were mashed into the brakes and gears.

Lightning, knowing full well that the ship was about to die out, gathered her bag and attached it to her hip. She looked at Sazh and Sera, who were trying desperately to save the thing.

"Why don't you just give it a rest and shut it off?" she asked, grabbing them by the shoulders. Her happy mood had worn off with exhaustion. She was tired, crabby, hungry, and thirsty. She wanted home as badly as they did.

_No, not home, _she reminded herself. _It's just a place to stay for a while. Just until you get your memory back. _She was not ready to call this place her home, not when there was a possibility of getting back to her home.

Sera sighed, defeated. She pushed the button and watched in sadness as the machine she nurtured back to life shut off…for good. She spun her seat around to face her. "Fine. Let's go," she agreed. Her and Sazh stood up, the tall man smacking his head against the roof. He let out a low whine, rubbing his head. The baby chocobo in his arms chirped what sounded like a laugh.

He glanced at it curiously. "What are you laughing at?" he asked playfully, petting the top of it's head. It cooed and snuggled into his arms. He smiled, then stuffed it in his jacket. He pointed his finger at it. "Stay safe." It snuggled in deeper into his jacket. He laughed a little as its feet tickled him, but didn't do anything further.

Lightning nodded her head in the direction of the village. "We can see it. It shouldn't take us too long to reach the boundaries," she stated, opening the door. The wave of extreme heat crashed against them all, forcing them all to take a step back. Sazh shuddered while Sera re-adjusted to the heat. A bead of sweat that had been building up on Lightning's forehead dripped down her face. She scoffed and wiped it off with her red cape. Sazh waved his hand in his face, shoving any cool air in his direction.

"I sure didn't miss that," he said, wiping a new bead of sweat from his forehead. Lightning rolled her eyes.

"Well take off your jacket, then. That's part of what's keeping you so warm," she suggested, stepping outside. He tilted his head and ducked under the doorway, walking out into the bright, blinding light once more. The chocobo in his jacket shoved it's face back into the shadowed, safe haven of his coat. Sazh chuckled.

"That tickles, little guy. Don't do that." He looked at Lightning. "And if I take this off, where's the little guy going to stay?"

Lightning didn't answer, but instead stared at the village, scanning the horizon for any enemies.

Sera, once outside, took a long, last look at her semi-fixed creation. "Goodbye, old friend. You were a big help to us."

Lightning, feeling the intense hunger and thirst pains bellowing up in the pit of her stomach, made a sudden dash for the village. Sazh and Sera, shocked to see such desperate measures taken by her, exchanged glances and took off after her.

"Hey, Lightning, slow down the bolts, would ya?" Sera called out, breathing heavily from the little running that she'd started.

Sazh chuckled a little. "No one likes bolts of Lightning," he said cleverly. Sera laughed at his quickly thought out joke.

They were falling drastically behind. Sazh could feel the pain in his muscles give in and he fell to the ground, only a second after Sera. The strawberry haired woman didn't stop to look back. She scared herself at that moment. She was leaving behind her two followers to fend for themselves because she was hungry and thirsty and tired.

Her stomach growled and she ignored her conscience. _I'll send someone to get them. _She concluded. Besides, there was nothing she could do to get them there. It's not like she could carry them.

But she knew someone who may be able to. As she got closer, she saw a tall, blonde haired man watching the scene. He was chuckling, his hand in front of his mouth. Snow Villiers. She cringed at the name, but nevertheless kept going. It just figured that he'd be there, laughing at them.

As she reached him, she saw his face then crumple in confusion as he saw the desperation on her face. She skidded to a halt in front of him.

"Hey Snow," she started, taking deep breaths to calm her systems down. "Could you do a favor for me?"

He frowned, but then looked behind her. He must have seen Sera and Sazh sitting down. He crossed his arms and gave her a satisfied look. "You want me to go fetch them?" he guessed. She nodded. He smiled a huge grin and took off. Lightning couldn't help but stifle a laugh as she watched him run, despite how exhausted she was. He bounded through the sand, his tall frame crashing through the waves of dirt. They created a sandstorm of their own. His arms bounced back and forth as he gained speed. She couldn't help but picture him try to swim. She was a bit disappointed that she couldn't hear his footsteps echo like she did the dinosaurs.

She was surprised by the speed he gained with his bulk of muscle. He was incredibly fast for someone as big as him. And as he reached them, she wasn't at all surprised at the fact that he knelt down and swept both of them up, carrying them over his broad shoulders. She liked that. It was a nice touch to the whole rescue. Sazh and Sera obviously didn't like the fact that they were being carried like rag dolls.

His run on the way back was even funnier to watch, and this time she couldn't hold back the laugh. It was soft and melodic, much like her voice when she wasn't moody or having a temper problem. The sudden softness in her took her off guard and she stopped just as suddenly as she started. It had been a nice change, but her mind ran through how she could've gone through this transformation. Since she'd gotten here, the only thing that she'd actually been doing was training, becoming annoyed with either Snow, Sera, and now Sazh, or sleeping the days through.

The only possible solution she could come up with was the fact that she was beginning to get attached to them. They were making their mark on her, and she couldn't fight it. She knew that she was losing, and it was a battle that she was unable to win. She didn't want to believe it, but she knew that it was true. There was no way she was going to avoid this reality. The only way to stay away and hope that they gave up on her was for her to leave them suddenly.

She was brought back to the present by the swift skidding of Snow's boots in front of her. Sand flew up into her face and she cringed again, guarding her eyes with her arm. When the dust cloud was gone, she looked at him and nodded once. "Thanks," she said. She realized that she might as well have stayed back with them herself.

Sera, after being set down on the ground, dusted her skirt off with her hands. Obviously, she'd come up with that realization as well.

"Lightning, why didn't you wait with us?" she complained. Lightning shrugged.

"First of all, if I had been there with you, Snow would've never known to come and get you. You would've fallen unconscious and died of heat exhaustion." She gave Sera a meaningful glance. The girl looked back at her with a grateful expression. "So I just saved your butt yet again."

Sera looked at the ground, where her feet were shuffling circles in the dirt. "Thanks," she muttered. Lightning nodded.

"You're welcome." She felt a little strange actually responding to the girls gratitude, but it felt good.

Sazh smiled and took off his boots, dumping the sand out of them. "Wow, after a while of living in the desert, your boots turn into a sand pit themselves, don't they?" he said jokingly. Nobody answered, but Snow guffawed and patted him on the back hard. Sazh yelped and fell forward with the force of it.

Lightning's stomach growled, and Snow's guffaw turned into a howl. "You guys hungry?" he asked when he composed himself, pulling them all into his arms. Lightning choked a little from loss of oxygen, but soon adjusted. In response to his question, all three of their stomach's growled, being drowned out by a fourth, more monstrous roar. Sazh, Sera, and Lightning all exchanged glances and looked at Snow's stomach.

"I take that as a yes," he said, setting them all down. "Good, because I'm starved." As he led them up the hill and through the trails, he eyed Lightning, who was watching the scenery, her eyes glazed over in deep thought. "So, what'd you find?"

She shrugged. "Not what we were hoping for," she told him. There was a disappointed grumble from Snow, but nothing more. "But we did find Ifrit. He won't be bugging anyone anytime soon."

Snow stopped in his tracks. He swung his head around to face them. His face was a mix of bewildered and ferocious. "Please tell me that you didn't KILL it." Lightning noticed that his eye twitched with the thought.

Sera froze as well. Her eyes widened with sudden realization, and she immediately looked ashamed. "Oh, no…" she mumbled. Lightning and Sazh, both completely oblivious, exchanged looks.

"What's 'Oh, no…' supposed to mean?" Lightning asked. The little Chocobi in Sazh's jacket poked its head out and sniffed the air.

Snow pulled at his hair. "No, this is not good," he said to himself. He paced back and forth, talking quietly to himself. Lightning rolled her eyes and walked in front of him. He turned around and continued his pacing.

She reached forward and grabbed the collar of his jacket, pulling him back. She was shocked that she was able to pull him over by a simple flick of the wrist. He stumbled back and came to a halt in front of her. His face was very distressed. "What are you babbling about?" she asked, daring him to defy her question.

He took off his black hat and fixed his hair, slipping the hat back into place when he was done. "Ifrit was an aeon," he said. He said it as if they she and Sazh were supposed to know what he meant. Lightning nodded.

"Yeah, so?"

"So, if you kill one of them, especially at a time like this, the others will know," he explained.

Sazh sighed in understanding. "So the others might come to avenge him?" he guessed. Snow shook his head.

"No, but you two are from Cocoon's military," he said. Lightning shrugged.

"What does that have to do with anything, Snow?" she asked. "So we were in the military. We were banished."

"Remember the history of the aeons? They were released to help take down Cocoon. And you two are people who were sworn to protect the city."

Sera took a quick breath. "Lightning and Sazh will be their targets." Snow nodded.

"Exactly."

Lightning shrugged. "So we take them down, no problem there." Snow shook his head again.

"They get more powerful. There's no chance for you to take them down on your own," he stated, giving her a look of all-knowing. She sighed, then turned to the others.

"What do you say we get something to eat?" she suggested. Snow shook his head and rubbed his temples. He should've know she wouldn't listen.

Both Sera and Sazh rubbed their stomach's.

Snow smiled lightly. "Sure. Follow me," he said, continuing up the hill. He ignored the fact that only him and Sera actually knew what could happen.

Lightning let out the breath she'd been holding and followed behind the others, quietly considering what Snow had said about Ifrit. Now they were going to be after her and Sazh. Things certainly looked bad, but she wondered what they would do if they received only one of them…


	15. Turning a New Leaf

Chapter 14

As he sat on the train, Roi noticed that his hair had begun to get out of control. It was longer than before, slicked back to impress those that were higher up than him. He was turning into a part of the military he never would have guessed. Nayl and Ava were reaching him, and he was afraid of what was next.

Soon, Veran would be voted out of office, and the candidate that was taking his place was none other than Nayl himself. He was terribly afraid because of the fact that Nayl's sense of justice was sending men and women down to Pulse without proper evidence. When he thought back to the time Lightning was being put under trial, Nayl had barely scanned the documents he had been given. Only one diary entry had been read fully.

Roi often regretted that day, because he always thought that maybe if he'd given Lightning the benefit of the doubt, she'd still be there, helping them destroy Pulse's enemies. Sure, there was a red flag, but the flag wasn't always bad. It could've been a dream that she intended to use for good. One that she would've used against Pulse. But of course the admiral wouldn't except that.

Then again, he was still an admiral in training. There were things in the military that he didn't know about yet. Things in history that hadn't been revealed to him. He didn't know everything about Pulse's crystal, and perhaps there was something in there that would explain Nayl's behavior.

With that in his mind, he ran his fingers through his slicked hair. He was exhausted from the plan that had been made against his former friend, and he was still needed in a meeting with Nayl, Ava, and Veran. He almost laughed at the thought that Niko would soon need to deal with things like this. The poor kid was going to have a problem with all of this. He, too, was close to Lightning. Or so he said. There was no way he'd been as close as Roi had been. Lightning and him had been friends since that Snow Villiers had been sent away. They'd been in the same troops, and when he was promoted, she swiftly joined him. After the death of her commander, that is.

He shook his head and stood up, feeling the slight dizziness from changing elevations. It was typical for a trip from Cocoon to Pulse, or vice versa, to plug up your ears.

The train slowed, a thick cloud of steam exiting from the engine room. He smiled and waited at the door, watching through the transparent glass as the tall buildings passed by.

The train came to a stop and the doors opened, allowing Roi to leave the small, empty space. He took in a deep, refreshing breath of fresh air, smelling a mixture of lovely aroma's, anywhere from roses to fresh baked bread sticks. He always loved getting up and walking around where so many things smelled so good. Unlike Pulse, with it's reeking scent of flesh and animal dung. The place absolutely revolted him, but that's why he wasn't down there.

Waiting at the station for him was Nayl and Ava themselves, and he wondered what made them feel so safe as to escort him on their own. For all they knew, he could've been in cohorts with Lightning.

Nayl smiled warmly at him. "Ah, Roi. It's good to see you again," he said, patting him on the shoulder. "How was your trip?"

Roi yawned. "Incredibly tiring," he admitted. "But I'm alive. What are we doing?"

"We're going to the meeting room right now, Veran is already waiting for us," Ava answered, turning toward the east, where the Prime Ministers meeting room was located.

Nayl nodded and put an arm around Roi's shoulders. "Let's go, then. Don't want to keep him waiting."

Roi didn't answer, but walked with them. Ava was silent, but Nayl chatted about everything that happened while he'd been gone, which wasn't much. The only thing that his mind picked up was that a fire had started, but nothing too damaging happened. The rest he just tuned out. He didn't wish to talk yet, he was tired, but five minutes later they were at the building.

Ava smirked and pressed a button next to a speaker. She waited, then a female voice answered on the other end. "How may I help you?" she asked.

Ava came up close to the speaker and pressed the button again. "It's Ava. Nayl, Roi and I are here to speak with Veran," she informed. The woman was silent, but there was a small click from the door.

"Please enter through the door and follow the hallway to the end," the woman said.

The three leaders entered the hallway and followed it as the woman had instructed. The lights were on, but the dark maroon walls with their gold lining was calming. At the end of the hall, only a few meters from the entrance, was a very rich looking door. It was made of hard, dark cherry wood with pure gold handles and trimmings. Roi stared in awe. He leaned in to Nayl's ear.

"I can see why being Prime Minister is a major convenience," he said. Nayl smiled.

"It's a very wealthy style of living," he admitted. "And you could be the one to take over after me."

Roi looked at him with amused, curious eyes. "You made it? Congratulation."

Nayl bowed his head. "Thank you, Roi."

Ava cleared her throat. "Can we close our mouths and actually do what we're here to do?" she asked, her hand resting impatiently on the handle. The two men stayed quiet as she opened the door, revealing the spacious room within. The walls were the same rich red as the hallway, but there was more gold lining than outside of it. In a huge, fluffy chair sat Veran, with his hands folded in his lap, one leg crossed over the other.

"Welcome, friends," he said, gesturing to various chairs. "Shall we get down to business?"

**Down in Pulse…**

Snow laid out blankets on the couch and chairs as Lightning and Sera stepped outside to freshen up before bed. After she was dried off, Lightning wrung the water out of her hair, using her red cape to wipe the excess water off of her face. She dressed in a pair of Sera's night clothes: a white tank top and some shorts. She made a mental note to thank the girl when she got the chance. She flung her bag over her shoulder and unattached her sword from behind her.

She looked back at Sera, dressed in a matching pair of shorts and tank top, who was tying her necklaces together to keep them all in one bundle. She noticed Lightning and smiled. "It keeps them from tangling," she explained.

Lightning nodded. "Hm, makes perfect sense," she muttered "Oh, and thanks for the clothes." She walked back inside the house. Snow was seated on the floor, fixing a gun that she assumed he'd been using quite a bit lately. On what, she wasn't certain, but it was definitely well used.

He looked up and smiled a big, crooked smile. "Hey."

She returned the smile, only not so big and crooked. "Hey," she sat down on the couch. There was a loud growling near them and she frowned. She looked over at Sazh, who was snoring loudly in the chair to her left. Her attention turned to Snow again and she watched him study the gun. "What's with the gun?"

He looked up at her, then back at the gun. He set it down on the floor after polishing the barrel. "It was my dad's," he answered. Lightning tilted her head and examined his face. There was pain. Not just pain… but anguish.

"What happened?" she asked. He looked up at her and stifled a laugh. She shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips. "Okay, so maybe I used to know, but you have to give me some lenience. I don't remember anything about myself, much less anyone else," she stated. "Give me some credit for trying to care."

He smiled again, this time giving her an appreciative look. "Yeah, I haven't seen you like this for a long time," he admitted. He took a deep breath, composing his mind while he prepared the story. He got up and sat next to her, setting his arms over the top of the couch. "I can't remember exactly how long ago it was.. You were 16, and we were trying to fix this machine; some lame motorcycle, I think." He laughed at the memory. Lightning kept listening, facing him intently. "Anyway, my dad and mom had gone to get some groceries. Next thing I know, we're sitting on my couch while the military commander is telling us about an accident on the highway. My parents both died."

Lightning's face turned pitying. This guy had been through so much, and still he was trying to help her remember. She wished there was more she could do for him.

She noticed his eyes watering and stared. This big, muscular guy was about to cry. And she actually felt bad for him.

Slowly, she put an arm around his shoulders and comforted him. He hugged her tightly, letting his tears fall down. Her body stiffened at the contact. Nobody had ever gotten this close to her before, or at least not that she'd let them. What surprised her most about this little incident was the fact that she let him cry, let him get out all of the pain that he'd been holding inside since whenever the last time he'd let it out was. She genuinely cared what about how he was feeling. She put her other arm around him and hugged him closely. It felt right, like they fit together. Like they'd been like that before.

"It's okay, Snow," she whispered to him. Her voice was soft and caring again. "Things happen. But…" she paused. What was she supposed to say? "Look how far you've come. Sure, you were…banished…." The word lingered in her head, ricocheting against both sides of her skull. "But apparently so was I. Things like this just happen and you can't stop it," she said. His crying was dying down, but he still let his head rest on her shoulder. "At least _you_ still have all your memories."

He stopped crying and lifted his head. He wiped his eyes, looking at Lightning gratefully. "You should be like this more often," he said. Her arms were still around him comfortingly, still hugging him closely, and he smiled. "It's nice, seeing the old you again."

She smiled too, but then let it slide off her face. "I want you to know that I am trying to remember. I really am," she said. And it was the truth. She wanted to remember just as badly as he wanted her to remember. The way he was talking about their past sounded wonderful. He nodded.

"I believe you, don't worry," he replied. He looked past her and the smile got bigger. "Hey, Sera." Lightning removed her arms and slung one of them over the back of the couch.

She looked over her shoulder and smiled lightly. "Hey."

Sera's eyes were wide as she stared at them. She moved her gaze over to Lightning. "Were you just _comforting_ him?" she asked.

Lightning shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

"But you never comfort anyone," she argued. Lightning shrugged again.

"I thought he needed some comfort," she said, then eyed her. "Do you need comforting too, Sera?" She gave her a happy, plan-induced smile.

Sera thought for a moment, then smiled and jumped over the back of the couch. Lightning put an arm around Snow again, then around her as well. "You know, this is actually pretty nice," Lightning said.

"See, friends are good to have," Sera told her. Lightning shook her head and fixed Sera's shirt.

Snow stood up and pulled them both into a chest crushing bear hug, lifting them up off the ground. "I love you guys," he said. Lightning coughed as Sera laughed.

"Snow, we love you too. Just don't crush us," Sera stated. He smiled his crooked smile and set them down.

Lightning looked over at Sazh and sighed. "He sleeps through anything, doesn't he," she pointed out.

Sera yawned and sat down on her end of the curved couch. "Hey, Lightning?" she called. Lightning got under her blanket and relaxed, looking over at her. "Are you still going alone tomorrow?"

At first, she didn't answer. She hadn't really thought about it since before they'd eaten. She really didn't want to leave them there. She wanted them with her on her trip. Especially after what they'd just been through. But she needed to go alone. It was vital.

But Sera didn't need to know that.

"I don't know, Sera. I need to think some more on it," she said. Sera looked up at the ceiling as she settled into the blankets, but nodded.

"Alright. Just let me know when you decide," she said, then turned onto her side. Lightning sighed and stared at the ceiling. Why did Sera always have to put her on a guilt trip?

Within five minutes, the girl was asleep. She closed her eyes and relaxed into the soft cloth of the couch and the blanket. She was so comfortable…

"You're not going to tell her, are you?"

She was startled by Snow's voice. She looked over at him in his other chair. His huge feet hung over the edge. She let out another sigh.

"I don't know, Snow," she said. "I don't know what to do."

"If you leave, it's going to break her heart. You're like a sister to her, you know," he said. She looked over at Sera, who was already sound asleep. "She never had a real family, and since she's met you, she thinks of you as her older sister. Don't betray that."

She closed her eyes again. "Don't worry, I'm making the right decision."

Snow nodded and pulled the blanket closer to him, his light snoring echoing into the house after a minute. Lightning turned over and faced the back of the couch. She _hoped_ she was making the right decision…


	16. Behemoth

Chapter 15

The first thing Sera noticed when she woke up was the absence of Lightning's hair in her face. All night she'd been woken up by the constant taste of Strawberry's hair in her mouth, or waking up sneezing from the loose strands tickling her nose. She thanked Snow for that. He was the one that put them head to head…literally.

She sat up and stretched her arms high into the air as the blood rushed through them quickly. She looked around, only then realizing the wonderful smell of food in the air. Her stomach growled fiercely and she got up, heading for the kitchen. Eggs and bacon, her favorite morning-time meal. Snow must have had something to do with that, the big softie. A somewhat pleased smile plastered itself onto her face.

As she entered the kitchen, though, the smile disappeared. Sazh and Snow were standing at the stove, talking quietly to each other. She caught a few words, though, that dampened her mood. _…she's gone…go after her…dangerous._

She walked a little farther in. Snow looked up and acknowledged her, ending the conversation. "Good morning, Sera," he said, none-too-cheerfully. She didn't return the greeting.

"She left?" she asked. Sazh and Snow exchanged glances, then nodded. Snow went over and put an arm on her shoulder.

"No one knows why, but at least she left us a note," he said, then pulled a piece of paper folded up into quarters out of his jacket. She took it and opened it up, glancing first at her remaining friends, then at the paper. She rubbed her eyes and began to read it. It was a very short, to the point note.

_To whoever receives this note,_

_I have left, obviously, but I will see you again. This is a journey only I can _

_take. Forgive me._

_Lightning_

Sera let out her breath and set the paper down on the counter. "Why would she leave us? What did we do?"

Sazh shook his head. "It's not what we did. She thinks that things will always be better if she handles things on her own. It's what Lightning does, it's what she'll always do," he said. Snow ruffled her hair.

"Don't worry about things. She promised we'd see her again," he said, a noticeable hint of doubt in his voice.

Sera watched him leave the room. "Do you believe her?" she asked him. He stopped walking.

He was silent for a while, taking deep, thoughtful breaths. "I don't know, Sera. I really don't," he answered. "I think maybe she's in too deep. That she's trying to claw her way out, but she's stuck." He took a deep, composing breath, then continued. "She won't survive for long, not with that mindset, that's for sure." He left the room and sat on the couch, his head rested on his hands.

Sazh held a plate out in front of Sera. "Good morning."

She smiled faintly and took it. "Thanks."

He leaned against the counter and pondered in his mind while she ate. She'd never seen him this quiet or even this serious before. It was strange, and even unnerving. It brought on an unwanted sense of composure.

When she finished, she put the plate in the sink and began to wash it, taking the time to wash theirs, as well. They cooked for her, after all, the least she could do was clean up after them. As she put soap on the sponge and began to scrub the plates, Sazh came behind her.

"Sera," he whispered into her ear. She jumped a little, but continued cleaning. "I have a plan, but you have to be quiet. I don't think Snow would want to do this."

She nodded, giving him a silent clue to continue talking. "Lightning left, but I'm sure people in the village saw her. It's not hard to spot her in a crowd." He motioned to his hair. "Anyway, we follow her from a distance, and then when she needs help, we spring into action. How does it sound?"

Sera stopped cleaning and turned to face him. "I think it sounds perfect." A smile was spread across her face again.

"Well, I think it sounds pretty thrown together," Snow said.

Both Sazh and Sera jumped at his sudden comment, but they didn't reply. Snow was smiling, and that usually meant something good. "So what'd'ya say we leave now?"

Sera laughed and hopped on Snow's back. "Only if you give me a ride."

He chuckled. "Deal."

They all three took off in separate directions in the house: Snow packing food and supplies from the kitchen, putting bread and fruits in a bag, Sazh digging through the drawers in the bathroom, searching and bagging any first aid supplies he could find, and Sera outside running to the river with all of their canteens for water.

By the time noon came around, they were out the door, following the trail that Lightning left behind. Everyone they asked had seen her, as Sazh had expected. She'd been heading north, in the direction of the ruins. Snow shook his head.

"I should've expected this from her," he said. Sera stared toward the mountain.

"Doesn't she have to go through the forest first?" she asked, the fear hidden inside her becoming clear. Sazh looked between them. Snow was nodding to Sera's question, his eyes just as wide and fearful as Sera's were, and Sera was quiet, staring off into the forest boundaries.

Sazh tapped Snow on the shoulder. "What's so scary about the forest?" he asked. Snow tightened his gloves around his hands and put his arms to his side.

"There's a vicious creature living there. One that no one has been able to get a look at, unless they plan on dying," he informed. Sazh looked back at the forest.

"Oh."

Snow sighed, pulling out his fathers gun. "Let's go, I guess."

**Deep in the forest…**

Lightning sighed as she kicked the mud off of her boots. She'd been walking in the forest for an hour now, and there were hidden mud piles everywhere. A thing that made her mad, though, was that it didn't smell like mud.

"Mud sounds better," she muttered to herself. _I don't want to think about whatever else this could very well be._

She put her sword in her sheath and grabbed a stick. She poked at her boot, scraping off the rest of the "mud" from the bottom of her shoe. As she breathed in, she got a large whiff of the stuff and coughed. It smelled worse than fecal matter, but that's definitely what it was.

Lightning kept a hold on the stick and chose a clean place on the grass to wipe. It came off in long slides, creating thick lines of brown. She sighed again as she got the rest off, then threw the stick to the side. No one was going to want to touch that stick again. It flew over the edge.

Curiously, she walked over to the edge and knelt down. At first glance, she would've assumed a bottomless pit, but as she gazed further, she noticed that very, very far down, there was more grass and dirt. That would definitely be an unfortunate fall for anyone who lost their balance here.

She stood back up and backed away from the edge. It was a very beautiful forest, one with strange crystals that curved upwards into the sky with an orange base. The trees went very high up, some of the trunks curving sideways and up again. They'd be perfect for camping out.

Running down from high cliffs and into the crevices were thin, powerful waterfalls. From where she was standing, she could see three of them. They were all beautiful in exactly the same way.

_Why did the villagers seem so afraid of this place?_ she asked herself. _It's so gorgeous here. _

As if the forest were answering her inner question, a strong quake knocked her to her knees. She drove her sword into the ground and held on as the quake increased, then stopped. Everything was still in tact around her.

Slowly, she stood up, and as she did, her left thumb and index finger collided, two small, black buttons on them snapping together. A purple bubble surrounded her hand, and it quickly spread around her entire body, covering her from her neck down to her feet in a shield-like manner. It was like a web, small pulsations emitting on her, but nothing else happened. She stared at it questioningly, but couldn't come up with an answer.

"What-" she started, but was so fascinated that she couldn't finish. She couldn't piece together how it had happened, or even what it did.

Suddenly, a creature ten times as big as her leapt out of the crater. It landed less than a meter away. She stumbled as it landed, but simply backed up and stared at it in horrified awe.

It's skin was pasty white, it's bright crimson red eyes beaming down at her. The top jaw and eyes were surrounded by a silver, metal armor, only the armor was part of it's body. The armor went all the way up it's horns, which were connected to its face, curving up ward, then forward. It looked more like a double joust than a creature, but she wasn't going to say that to it's face. Was this one of the aeons?

Its arm rose and her eyes widened. She looked around for her sword. Her eyes rested on it, and her heart sank. It was closer to the creature than her. She needed a plan, and she needed it quick.

One began to form in her head as the arm continued to rise. Run, grab the sword, attack. It wasn't very complicated, but she hoped it would work.

When the arm was fully risen, she made a run for it. She ran at it at full speed, dashing for the sword. The hand came at her and she made a thoughtless jump at her sword. Her body floated weightlessly past the hand. She looked at her body, examining the purple membrane around her. That's what it did. Controlled gravity. Maybe she really could beat this thing on her own.

She smirked as she reached out for her sword, but only a few inches away from the hilt her plan started to fall apart.

The thing grabbed her leg, jerking her upward. The force of the lash pulled her leg out of socket and she bit down a scream. Her thumb and index finger clicked together again, defusing the purple membrane around her. It held her up to its face and grinned an evil smirk. She stared at it in complete shock and terror. It was beating her.

Its mouth opened and she took that as an opportunity. She reached into her bag and pulled out a toothpick from the restaurant she had met Snow and Sera at. Why she'd taken it, she didn't know, but she was glad that she did.

She waited until she was close enough, waiting patiently to either survive or die. Once she was a foot away, she lunged forward, jamming the small wooden pick in between tooth and gums.

It let out a horrendous shriek, its rotting, death-worthy breath almost knocking her out. Its hand released her from its grip. As she fell, she tried to reactivate the membrane, but was unable to remember how she did it. Panic filled her as she watched the ground and her come closer to each other. She squeezed her eyes shut and her body slammed into the ground, rolling several feet. She clenched her jaw as pain shot through her body. Her hip, aching from the dislocation and the rude contact with the hard ground, and her lungs, from the air being painfully squeezed out, screamed at her. She tried to take a deep breath, but gasped as a piercing pain came up instead.

The thing was angrier than ever after it was done with its cries of pain. Lightning took a deep breath and quickly took out a small thing of fur from the Bandersnatch she'd killed her first night there, and put it in her mouth. She took hold of her leg and closed her eyes. With all her strength, she shoved it back into place, feeling the painfully uncomfortable bone against bone sensation. Her eyes shot open and they watered fiercely. She took the thing of fur out of her mouth and breathed another deep breath.

She looked to her side and realized that she was only a foot away from the edge. She scooted away and stood up, ignoring the rebuttal her leg was giving her. She swiftly scanned her surroundings for a new plan. The creature was inching its way closer to her, its red eyes even more fierce than before, brighter, more crimson than before. It was breathing heavily in rage.

About two meters behind it was her sword, still sticking out of the ground, waiting for her to retrieve it. She sighed in defeat. She couldn't get it without the creature catching her. That thing was too fast, and even with that gravity controlling membrane it had been able to take her down.

Just as she was about to give up, something clicked in her. She felt the need to win, the sense that the battle had just started. The experience that she'd obviously had as a commander and a fierce opponent. She smirked and, despite the pain that was throbbing through her body, rolled to the side. The creature turned in response, and she smiled. She was now a bit closer to her sword, and with a few more acrobatic moves she'd be right there. Things could very possibly go her way here.

She jumped, heading just a tad closer to the creature. Its white mane blew in the wind as it came forward. Lightning countered its sudden punch by side flipping to her right, landing right in front of her blade. She grabbed the hilt and pulled it out of the dirt and, with a swift flick of the wrist, transformed it to a gun. She shot at the creature relentlessly, watching as it backed up.

Her legs bent and she projected herself upward. She grabbed a handful of fur from its mane and pulled herself up onto its back. It thrashed around, grabbing at air as it tried to reach her. She changed her gun to a blade again and shoved the sharp point into its head.

"Thanks for the intense fight," she said to it, then smiled as it stumbled. She stood up on its head, then realized it was falling. Her eyes widened, because it wasn't just falling on the ground, it was going back home. Back home to the trench.


	17. The Fall

Chapter 16

"Oh, gross!" Sera yelled as she wiped a large glob of poop off of her boot. "This place is disgusting. Look at those poop piles." She motioned around them. It was a very pretty place, but the scenery was just ruined by the piles.

Sazh chuckled lightly. "Looks like we've stumbled into the creature's bathroom."

Snow stepped over the piles easily. He was too focused to be joking. The forest was exactly as he'd imagined: peaceful, quiet, beautiful. He had a hard time picturing a murderous beast living there.

While Sera was busy wiping stuff off her boots, and Sazh was too busy laughing at her, Snow leaned against a tree. He let his eyes venture off to the sky, the blue, bright sky that was barely visible through the tops of the trees. The sunlight bounced off of the crystal formations in the ground, emitting strange patterns of light on the ground. He smiled slightly at the serene peace this place was bringing him. He was so relaxed.

A heavy vibration rolled along the ground and the three friends stopped what they were doing. Snow straightened up and looked around. Sazh was holding onto Sera's arm to keep her balanced, and Sera was leaving her boot alone now.

"What was that?" Sazh asked. Sera shrugged.

"I don't know, but it came from a ways up," Snow told him. "It's not anywhere around here. Did you feel how distant it felt?"

Sera nodded. "Yeah, like sound waves."

"Exactly." Snow scanned the area ahead of them. "I don't see anything. It must be pretty far ahead."

Sazh started into a sprint. "Let's go, then. Knowing Lightning, she's probably involved."

Snow picked Sera up and put her on his back, running at full speed with Sazh.

**Lightning's Predicament…**

She looked around, panicked, for any way to survive. The creature was still alive, and if she attempted to jump, he was going to grab her. She needed to find a different way.

Her boots dug into the creature's skull, finding footholds in the thick mane. Her right hand grasped the hilt of her sword, while her left hand held a chunk of the creature's fur. Adrenaline rushed through her at an amazing speed, and she felt ashamed that she couldn't use it. Not now.

They fell off the edge. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest like that of the dinosaurs footsteps. Her chest hurt with the intense pounding, and she felt as if her heart were going to burst of the adrenaline rush right then and there.

As she watched, the black, near-bottomless pit engulfed them. The wind whipped through her strawberry pink hair as she straightened out their fall by pulling on the creature's mane and kicked at its body. She wasn't sure how far they had gone, but at least she could still see the sunlight.

When the moment came, as the creature and her straightened out in the right position, she kicked off of the things head and grabbed a hold of the edge, clinging desperately. She saw moving figures from the corner of her eye as she pulled herself up. With her arms supporting her weight on the edge, she scanned the scene. As she expected, her rescuers, Snow, Sazh, and Sera, were running over to help her. They slowed to a walk as they saw her, relieved smiles on their faces.

A smile lit up her face as well, even as she tried to pull herself up. She was happy to see them, and she was glad that she had the chance to at least one last time. Even from a ways away, she could see the joking look on Sazh's face. And she seemed to know that face well.

"Hey, Lightning, how's it hanging?" he joked. She gave him a slightly amused look. She knew him well alright...

"You know," she yelled back. " Uh…just trying to get up."

With the atmosphere so perfect, nothing seemed to be able to go wrong. But out of nowhere, as Lightning continued to try and get up, a monstrous, clawed hand reached up and grabbed her by the waist. Her eyes widened as she witnessed the faces on her friends change from happy and relieved to scared and panicked. She watched her friends disappear from view as she was ripped from the edge, pulled down into the blackness below, out of sight of her three friends.

"Lightning!" Sera yelled. Snow and Sazh, following a frantic Sera, ran to the edge, watching as the creature fell with their friend. Both men fumbled in their minds for things to do. Without much thought to what she was going, Sera grabbed her bow and an arrow and shot at it, hitting it right in the bright red eye.

It screeched an inhuman roar of pain and rage, then fell silent, disappearing into the dark with a yelling Lightning in its clawed hand. As they fell further, her yells became more distant and faded.

Sera dropped her bow to the ground and buried her face into Sazh's chest. The chocobi scooted out of the way, allowing her room to cry. Tears streamed out of her eyes as she choked back painful sobs. Sazh put his arms around her and stared at the sky. He stayed silent. He never imagined something like this happening to his former commander, especially one so strong both physically and mentally. Snow stared at the pit unbelieving. His eyes were wide, his face torn. He looked like a man whose entire life had just been thrown away.

Then, having a mental breakdown, he cried out and slammed his fist into a crystal formation. A loud cracking echoed through the forest as his hand connected with it, but the crystal formation stayed in tact. He fell to his knees and repeated his denial quietly, cradling his wounded hand…

**Deep in the pit…**

She struggled out of the creature's dead grasp as the wind continued to blow past her. Her hair got in her way a few times, but she ignored it, knowing that if she couldn't get out, she was, with no doubt, dead. They were near the bottom, she was sure of it. With the weight of the creature and the speed they were falling, there was no way that the bottom wasn't coming up. If she knew any science, it was the rate of falling with the weight provided. And she was contributing to the fall.

Lightning got out of the hand of the Behemoth and held onto its finger for stability as she searched for a way to safety. Many roots from the trees lined the walls of the crevice, large, curving roots that definitely looked like they belonged to the curved trees above, but she couldn't reach them. She looked at her hands, wishing that the gravity membrane were around her again. It would be a very helpful tool right now.

It was then that she saw the two black buttons on her fingers. Her eyes squinted through the fast, biting wind as she examined them. They were very small. She couldn't feel them there, like they were a part of her skin. That would explain why she hadn't known about them.

Truth came to her and, with an unprecedented excitement, she clicked the two fingers together. She watched, with a smile as wide as Sazh's the first time she'd met him, as the purple bubble formed around her hand and quickly spread across her body, creating that same purple membrane. Her personal safety bubble, literally.

She set her feet on the creatures rapidly falling hand and shoved herself upward, racing up to the safe surface of the forest once again. The surface where her friends were waiting for her to return.

The wind rushed past her again, only this time there was no panic involved. She was going to survive, she'd live to tell this tale for a long time, and she was going to have fun with gravity.

Below her, she heard the body of the creature hit the ground below with a sickeningly loud and vibrating thud, but smiled triumphantly at the fact that she wasn't going to die that day, no matter how many of those things pulled her down a deep, dark crevice.

She bounded from root to root, climbing her way up the sides of the trench…

**Forest Surface…**

Sera sat back against a crystal formation, unable to cry anymore, and Sazh sat with her, comforting her in a fatherly manner. He felt bad for Snow, but there was no way to cheer the guy up at a point like this. He had been sitting on the curved trunk of a tree for twenty minutes now, sulking and staring out at nothing. At least Sera was easy to calm down.

The girl looked up at him, and he didn't like the pleading look she was giving him. Her mouth was curved in a permanent pout, a sad, pathetic pout that looked like it would never heal.

"Sazh, do you think there's any possible way she could've survived that fall?" she asked. The look in her eyes already answered that, but he still didn't know what to say. Even if there was water down there, she would've gone straight to the bottom and hit the rocks.

He looked over at the crevice, a deep pain stabbing at his already pained heart when he took in the sight. He breathed in and out, calming his heart rate as the incident replayed itself in his head. "I don't know," he answered. "Maybe, but I doubt it."

She whimpered, burying her face into him again. He held his arm around her, letting her cry again. "I'm sorry, Sera. I wish I could just snap my fingers," He snapped his fingers "..and bring her back."

He closed his eyes and laid his head back against the crystal formation. It was nice and cool.

A soft patter came from the edge. It was strange, like the soft tapping of feet against the padded ground. He opened his eyes, his mind stunned and numb from what he saw. He almost screamed at the sight, jumping several feet into the air. "Lightning!" he yelled. Sera stood up instantly, staring in the direction he was pointing. Excited, she yelped and ran over to her. Lightning laughed a little as she wrapped her arms around the glowing purple woman and hugged her tightly.

"Lightning!" she exclaimed, holding her close. "I can't believe it. How'd you survive?" she asked. Her eyes scanned over the purple membrane, wide and curious. "And what's that?"

Lightning smiled. She had the feeling someone was watching her, and she knew instinctively who it was. She looked at Snow, who was staring at her as if he were seeing an angel. Of course, to him, it probably was exactly like that. They all thought she was dead. She looked at Sera and pushed her away a little.

"Breathing room, Sera. Please," she said. "This," she motioned to the purple around her, watching with amusement as the girls eyes followed her hand. She smiled, then clicked her two fingers together, watching as it disappeared. "..is what saved me."

Sera and Sazh's eyes were wide with intense fascination, and Lightning used her finger to push Sazh's mouth closed. It snapped shut like a snapping turtles mouth. He smiled the same wide grin he'd given them when they first met him, then hugged her. She rose an eyebrow and pulled away. "Just because I'm back doesn't mean you have around the clock access to my happy side." she said. Sazh smiled and shrugged.

Lightning heard a few footsteps and turned to look. Snow was walking over now, the same unbelieving look on his face as before, the one that had been on him when she had fallen. His eyes were wide and very red from crying, his mouth was open, but only slightly. His hat was off for the first time. She noticed how incredibly smooth and shiny his hair was.

Slowly, he reached out and pulled her into him, hugging her closely.

Lightning stayed still for a moment, considering what the feeling inside her was. Finally, she slowly lifted her arms around him as well, hugging him back. Snow had to bend down to hug her right, but it didn't seem like either of them cared. He buried his face into the hair that hung over her shoulder, crying lightly into her.

She had a confused look on her face, but allowed him to do so. Sazh smiled, noting that they had definitely known each other in the past. Snow was attached. And it wasn't just a best friends attachment, it was something that was stronger. Something that held him barely at the edge of his sanity.

To his surprise, Lightning stroked his hair with her hand. There was almost a loving notion to it, one that Sazh was so used to hearing her yell at them about. One that she had told everyone only slows them down. And yet here she was, being as loving as possible to someone who was obviously special to her.

He looked over at Sera and noticed her smiling at them. She glanced at him and leaned over to whisper in his ear. "Don't they seem a little bit infatuated?" she asked. He nodded. She must have been reading his mind.

"I was just thinking the same thing," he admitted. She smiled and watched them for a bit longer. The two were so good together, and he wondered if they had been just friends when Snow had left.

Sera tapped his shoulder and motioned toward one of the trees. He nodded and followed her as they walked to the tree, sitting on the curved branch as Lightning comforted Snow.


	18. Admiral Roi

Chapter 17

"Roi, you do know what happened at the meeting was necessary, correct?" Veran asked as him and the new, young admiral walked through the gardens at the Prime Minister's place. Many scents surrounded them: roses, daffodils, lavender, and then there was the honeysuckle, Roi's favorite flower. They tasted quite good, too.

He was quiet, though, going silently through the day again in his head.

"_Please, take a seat," Veran said as the three of them entered. Ava sat down in one of the big, fluffy black chairs, motioning for them to do the same. Roi hesitantly took a seat next to her, leaving the chair next to him open for the admiral. Nayl hesitated, much like Roi, but sat down._

_Veran, looking quite pleased, took a sip of his hot, black coffee and cleared his throat. "Good. So, Roi, I bet you're wondering why you are here?" The man's voice was like velvet. It was an overly inviting tone._

_Roi shook his head. "Not at all. We're here to discuss the rest of our plan," he answered. Veran smiled and set down his cup. _

"_Yes, but there's more to today's meeting. One person in here does not need to be hearing this today," he said. Roi tilted his head to the side as Veran knelt over and rummaged through his drawers. His eyes got wide as he saw the man pull out a small, handheld pistol, military issue only._

_Roi's eyes widened in panicked fear. "Sir, you know what the law states!" he exclaimed, standing up with his hands on the desk. Nayl elbowed the boy. Roi grunted and looked at him. He grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him back into a seated position in his chair._

"_Don't argue with someone who is about to take out an unwanted asset," he whispered. "Especially if the unwanted asset is Ava."_

_Ava's head snapped around to them, glaring at Nayl. Roi gulped. He wished she hadn't heard that. She was dangerous enough as it was, but now she had fuel. "Well, now. I'm not the one who has disappointed him time and time again, am I?" she asked, her eyes boring deep into his mind. He looked away._

_Veran chuckled softly. Roi didn't see how any of this was funny. "Nayl, you know very well who this is all about." He looked at Roi. His piercing eyes gazed deep into Roi, much like Lightning's only not so feminine. "Why, you brought him yourself."_

_Nayl, with a confused look of realization, glanced at Roi. He searched the boy curiously, confused on the statement. As he turned back to Veran to speak, his eyes lost their shine as they noticed the barrel of the gun pointing directly at him._

_He got up and went behind the chair for defense. "Sir, please, just think about this. Roi was right, the law clearly states-"_

"_I know what the law states, Nayl. And I can change it," he argued. "I AM the law, basically."_

_Nayl turned around and ran at the door. Roi knew he wouldn't get very far. He squeezed his eyes shut. Veran shook his head and fired the gun, watching with a pleased look as the bullet pierced Nayl in the back, directly in the heart. _

_He set the gun back down in the drawer and turned to Ava. "Ava, you may get things prepared for the new admiral's coronation."_

_Roi acknowledged the fact that he was going to be admiral differently than he had expected. He wasn't happy, he wasn't sad…he was speechless. In more ways than one._

_First off, the admiral, who had been his only friend since Lightning left, was now dead. He didn't know how to respond to that because the murderer was someone who had put the rule there in the first place, which led to the second reason he was speechless._

_The Prime Minister, Veran, who was supposed to be the nicest guy in the entire world, one that everyone was to be able to trust, just killed his only surviving friend in Cocoon. Veran was different than everyone assumed, and it was so shocking that there weren't even words for it._

_And third, he had just been announced the new admiral. It was the second highest rank, besides Prime Minister, of course, and he was still very young. No one his age had ever been anywhere near this rank._

_Finally, he looked at Veran and nodded. "Thank you, sir," he said, his voice calmed since he was mentally unable to yell the angry thoughts he had at the man for killing Nayl. Ava smiled approvingly and stood up. _

"_I will do as you have ordered, sir." She bowed and then walked over Nayl's body, leaving the room. _

_When Roi turned to face Veran again, the man was watching him. "Did I surprise you with that little stunt?" he asked._

_Roi paused. He didn't know what to say about it. He didn't know what would set the man off. Eventually, he nodded. "A little, I must admit. I thought you were a man with an incredibly clean slate."_

_Veran chuckled. It was hearty, one that was oblivious to what he had just done. "I am, Roi, but as they say, desperate times call for desperate measures." He picked up his coffee again and took a long drink from it. Roi agreed with that statement, but not in this situation. Nayl could've been fired. He didn't have to die. "I would like you to take Nayl's body and dispose of it. Don't let anyone know about this," he ordered._

_Roi nodded and stood up. He saluted and pulled Nayl's body over his shoulders. He knew what he needed to do, but he wasn't sure if he really wanted to or not. He'd just been appointed admiral. It was a very rewarding position. But the man was a horrible person. These thoughts clouded up his mind as he carried Nayl away…_

"Yes, sir, I understand," he said. Veran nodded. He seemed very pleased by this statement. Roi wondered if Nayl had witnessed him kill off another admiral before he'd been announced the rank. Was it a never ending cycle that would just continue until Cocoon was fallen? Veran was helping Pulse tear apart the floating royal city, bit by bit.

"Good, then go take care of your troops," he ordered. The young man watched as the Prime Minister walked back inside of his offices.

**Pulse Forest…**

Lightning and Snow, who had long since parted from the long, loving embrace, were now sitting on the ground by the crystal formation. The sun had risen high above them all, hinting at noon. Sazh and Sera had decided to take a nap, noting that the journey was going to be a long one that would more than likely have quite a few twists and turns to it. Lightning turned down the offer to join them, though the battle earlier had completely drained her of all her energy.

She laughed in surprise. "I did that? I was so different back then," she said as Snow laughed about one of their many memories together.

"Yeah, and then you went and blamed it on me," he told her, a huge grin on his face. "Though no one believed that I would be able to get a vehicle started again and actually get it on the road working."

She smiled and looked out over the horizon. It was noon now, and her stomach was empty, her mind worn out, and her limbs were sore from the battle. Her leg ached from the painful dislocation that had been brought upon it, and her lungs were still sore from the fall she'd taken. Her stomach growled quietly and she frowned. It had been bugging her since earlier that morning. She'd just kind of forgotten about it since the battle with that Behemoth.

Her mind had started to shut itself down for rest, but she didn't let it. It wasn't that she didn't want to sleep, but there was a deep want in her to stay and talk with Snow. A feeling so strong that it was keeping her awake, whether she tried to sleep or not. A friendship that had been lost somewhere along the time he'd left, apparently.

He looked down at her. Even while they were both sitting, he towered over her. He was still about a foot taller than her. It was funny how tall he was compared to her, yet to make it up she could easily kick his butt. That was why he didn't tend to mess with her. "You okay?" he asked.

She snapped out of her unconscious thoughts and half conscious sleep and peered over at him. "Yeah, just hurting a little." She cracked her neck, letting the loud snap sound through the woods. Snow grimaced.

"What happened?" he asked, situating so that he was sitting facing her.

She sighed. "To tell you the truth, I almost failed. I was almost beaten," she said. Her eyes closed, then opened again when she realized she'd fall asleep if she kept them closed.

He cleared his throat. "Yeah, I think we all witnessed that." There was a tone of humor in his voice.

"Not that part of it," she said, shaking her head. She ignored the personal joke. "Before you guys came by." She looked ashamed, and he could understand why. She wasn't so used to losing. She never had been. But from how it looked, it didn't seem like she had _ever _come even close to failing.

She stared at the trees as she spoke, avoiding eye contact. "I found out about this new little trick I could use, but I took advantage of it. I let my guard down, and I was nearly beaten because of it." She picked at the grass below her. She was so full of shame. "I still can't get over that."

He nodded and patted her on the shoulder. "It's alright. You're alive. You beat it, and it's dead now, okay?" he said, pulling a long strand of her hair from her bangs. "This forest is safe again, thanks to you. We can pass through it again." He smiled at her, hoping he could cheer her mood.

She smiled a little, but shook her head. "Sera's the one that finished it off and saved me. I owe her a thanks," she corrected. Snow laughed a little.

"Hey, that thing was already dead when it hit the bottom of the crevice either way," he argued. She looked up at him gratefully.

"And me with it…" she thought out loud. Snow winced at the thought. He put an arm around her.

"Not really. You're here with all of us," he stated. "Here in the beautiful forest that no one has ever been able to witness before this day without dying. We get to share this experience."

She laughed, removed his arm from around her, then leaned back against the crystal formation. Her eyes closed and she took a deep breath. Snow noticed that and pet her hair. "Take a nap, okay? Sleep well."

She shook her head. "No, I don't want to. I want to talk to you some more," she half-mumbled through her relaxed state. She wasn't able to fight it off anymore. Her body wouldn't let her. It was shutting itself down despite her attempt at control.

He smiled and laid back against the crystal too. "I'll stay here and wait for you to wake up, okay? Besides, I need a nap too." To prove his point, he yawned and stretched his limbs out in all different directions, then relaxed.

She smiled approvingly and seconds later fell fast asleep. Snow put his hands behind his head and listened to the light breathing of his best friend. She needed the sleep, especially after what she'd accomplished. The beast was gone, and people would be able to walk freely through this gorgeous forest.

Relief flooded through him and satisfaction with it. He had his friend back, maybe not the way he remembered her, but she was back. The forest was safe, and he was tired. Life would work out just fine.


	19. Dream

Chapter 18

_The crystal called out to her, its bright purple light shining brilliantly around the large, crystallized room. Everything was shiny, light bouncing off of the walls and floor. Her feet stepped closer and closer each second, and she couldn't stop it, even if she wanted to. It was an addiction, to get close to it, to feel its power._

_Lightning stopped at the bridge that was in between her and the purple crystal. It was long, but wide. Easy to get past. She took a step onto it, and a cracking echoed into the air…_

Lightning's eyes opened fast and they searched her surrounding area. She was brought back to reality as she realized she was still in the beautiful forest that had been extremely fatal just a few hours before.

She sighed and stretched her limbs awake, wincing as the pins and needles stabbed at her legs and arms. _I must've slept wrong, _she thought to herself as she stood up. Her legs screamed at her in protest as she walked around the crystal formation that she had slept against. Her mind replayed the dream in slow motion, every detail from the way the walls looked, to the feeling inside that she had as she thought about feeling the crystal's power.

Her mind continued to play every detail as Snow walked over, stretching his arms high into the air. He paused and watched Lightning pace back and forth, his head tilted to the side as she kept going in the same pattern, her hand resting on the top of her head. He smiled and shook his head.

"Hey," he called. She looked over, but didn't stop her pacing.

"Hey," she answered, then looked away again. She was pondering something, her lips were speaking silently to themselves.

He stepped in front of her. She turned around and walked away from him. He smiled as he realized that seemed incredibly familiar. He thought back to the time she'd done the same thing to him. What was it she had done?

"Oh, yeah," he murmured happily as he remembered. He reached out and grabbed the back of her vest and yanked her backwards. Her eyes got real wide as she fell back, stumbling on her feet from the force of the pull. Her knees buckled underneath of her and she fell into the arms of Snow. She looked up at him from her crouched fallen state and noticed he was smiling.

She rose an eyebrow. "Um, hi?" she said. He smiled and shook his head.

"What's on your mind?" he asked her. She eyed his clenched fist that was still wrapped around her vest. He realized what he was doing and let go. She stood up and brushed herself off.

Lightning hesitated for a moment, grouping her words together. "I had a dream," she finally told him. He frowned.

He sat down against the crystal formation again, motioning for her to sit next to him. "Tell me about it."

There was a long silence as she sat down next to him and thought about it. Her eyes were glazed over in memory, her body completely still. He situated a little, sitting cross-legged with his back against the crystal.

Finally, she moved and faced him. "It was about the crystal, I think," she said. He looked at her in confusion.

"The crystal?" he asked in confirmation. She nodded.

"I was in a crystallized room. In the middle of it was the crystal, and I had this overwhelming sensation to go to it," she explained. Her face was far off, probably in the dream again. He wondered how amazing it had really been, or if maybe she was afraid of it. "That's about as far as I got."

"So, was it a good dream, do you think?" He was curious now. If it wasn't a bad dream, why was it bugging her so much?

She shrugged. "Depends on what it's supposed to mean."

He nodded. So she was confused too. "Doesn't seem like it's supposed to mean anything. You're looking for it. You've thinking about it a lot, haven't you."

She didn't answer. Her eyes were glued to the tree in front of them. Whatever was going on in her mind, he knew that he was right. Of course she was thinking about it. Her memory was the main priority right now. And why wouldn't it be, he thought. She was memory-less.

He put an arm around her. "We'll find it, don't worry," he assured her. She looked at him and shrugged away.

"I know that, I just wish we'd find it already."

He laughed. "No patience, huh?" She smiled and nudged him with her shoulder.

"Yeah, no patience, unfortunately."

There was a guffaw and they both looked up. Sazh and Sera were standing next to them, both of them with expectant looks on their faces.

Lightning stood up quickly. "Good afternoon. How'd you sleep?"

Sazh smiled. "Pretty good. Yourself?"

Sera looked at Lightning. "Do you remember anything yet? Maybe remembered something in a dream?"

Lightning shook her head. "No, I didn't. And I doubt I'll remember something just by sleeping." She frowned. "Though I wish I could.."

Snow stood up and put a hand on her shoulder. "We'll find the crystal, and you'll have your memory back, even if it leads you away from us…" His voice trailed off at the end of the statement. She looked up at him and tilted her head curiously. His eyes fell on her and he smiled quickly, erasing the frown that had overcome his features. "Hey."

She rose an eyebrow. "You alright?"

"Yeah, let's just keep going, okay," he said, brushing past them. Lightning, Sera, and Sazh all exchanged glances, but followed after him as he got farther ahead.

Sera nudged Sazh, then leaned over to him. "Hey, what do you think is the matter with him?"

The afro man shrugged. "I don't know, actually," he whispered. "Maybe he thinks that when Lightning gets her memory back, she'll leave him here again."

Sera took a slow, deep breath. "Oh, right. They kind of bonded here."

He nodded, then leaned away as Lightning looked back at them. She watched them closely for a minute, then turned away.

It was late afternoon, early evening when they reached the borders of the forest. The golden sun gently touched the earth, illuminating the colors of nature around them. The crystal formations shone golden yellow in the light, blinding rays shining off into their view. The four friends covered their eyes just enough to find their way through.

As they left the forest, each of them, except Snow, felt a weight lift off their shoulders. They were free of the forest, and closer to the crystal. Lightning felt happier than ever as she gazed at the glowing horizon and noticed that she could see, though it was far away, the blue glow of the glaciers far ahead of them. Snow felt a deep sadness and waiting pain settle deep inside of him.

And the closer they got, the deeper the pain burrowed into him.


	20. Frozen Ocean

_Chapter 19_

_Roi watched as his men and women trained hard, and it reminded him of the days that Lightning and himself trained them. He wished things could be that simple again. Now there were so many things that he started questioning what was really right. He questioned Veran and his ways, whether it was really for the good of Cocoon, or if it was a plan to rise higher than Prime Minister. To be a king._

_But of course he couldn't say that to his face. He couldn't say it to anyone. He'd be banished, or possibly even killed, like Nayl had been. Though Nayl didn't question Veran. He might as well have worshipped the guy. He was like Veran's pet, he'd follow him around, follow his orders, no matter how terrible, and then in the end he was put to rest._

_He saw Niko and smiled. The boy was taking the initiative. He'd transformed into a fine commander, especially after that talk he'd had with him. All he needed was someone to talk to, and that's exactly what Roi aimed to be._

_Niko looked over and smiled, waving at him. Roi returned the smile and nodded in acknowledgement. "Hello, admiral," the boy said. _

"_Good morning, commander," Roi replied. He walked over to him and watched his work, nodding approvingly. "You're doing an excellent job."_

"_Thanks. I've tried hard," he admitted. His green eyes gazed over at him. "I wanted to be good enough as Lightning's replacement."_

_Roi patted him on the shoulder and gave him an assuring smile. "You're doing better than her."_

_Niko laughed softly. "I doubt it. She lost hardly any men during battle. I don't know if I can beat that."_

"_You don't have to beat it," Roi said. "You just have to train them, teach them what they need to know. And that's what you're doing. You're giving them love, you're teaching them. That's what they need."_

_The boy flushed a bright red of embarrassment. "You really think I'm that good?"_

"_You know it."_

_Niko smiled and blew the whistle. "Break time, guys." He opened the cooler and let them rush over. He looked to Roi again, but frowned. He was gone._

_**Pulse: The Base of the Glaciers**_

_The dirt was frosted over with a thin layer of ice that thickened the further north that they got. The temperature had dropped at least ten degrees already, and the four friends were rubbing their arms to warm themselves up. Sazh's chocobo had burrowed deep into his afro. He'd occasionally giggle from its movements, complaining that it tickled. _

_Lightning was ahead of everyone else, determined to reach the crystal and remember her life as soon as was possible. Though she warmed her arms up with her hands, she didn't complain about the cold. She ignored the others complaints, focusing on the path ahead of them. The ice was beginning to get thicker, and it took all of their strength to stay on their feet as the ice reached at least two inches thick._

_Sera, who was shivering heavily ( and Lightning didn't blame her, she was wearing tribal clothing for summertime ), collapsed to her knees. Snow and Sazh stopped, forcing Lightning to turn back as well. Snow and Sazh were both trying to help warm her up. She felt her care for the young girl take over and she sighed, heading over to her. She knelt down next to her and hugged her, transferring her own body heat to her. _

_Snow and Sazh smiled and joined in on the hug. Lightning rose an eyebrow, but didn't move. The girl was freezing. She needed warmth._

_After a few minutes, Sera stood up, leading her three friends up as well. "I'm fine, guys, really. Thanks." She gave them all a grateful smile, which was returned by all but one. Lightning was too busy staring ahead of them, where the glaciers were pointing up into the sky. She was lost in her thoughts. Thoughts about what would happen when her memory was returned to her, whether she'd still be there for her new friends, or if she'd abandon them all to go back to the military._

_She was snapped back to the present by a strong hand that clamped onto her shoulder. She looked back and saw Snow smiling down at her. "You ready to continue?" he asked, his eyes shining brightly in the faint sunlight._

_She smiled lightly and nodded. "Sure." She glanced over at Sera and Sazh. "Let's go."_

_They all faithfully followed behind her as she led the way, Snow only close enough to point her in the right direction when they started to veer off course._

_After almost an hour of climbing up the pointing glaciers, Lightning leaned herself up against an iced over rock wall. She watched as the other three climbed up after her, all panting from the work out. Sera dropped to the ground, rubbing her sore hands. Snow stayed standing, but began breathing heavily to get air into his lungs. And Sazh immediately checked his hair for his little chocobo, crying out in delight as the baby chicken hopped onto his hand and nuzzled its beak into his neck._

_She moved her gaze over to the horizon and stared in amazement at the sight in front of her. She could see the ruins, but it wasn't really what she expected. It wasn't what looked like a once elegant palace. It was more of a machine, or what looked like one. It was old and run down, the ice climbing up it only a few feet. Behind the machine, or whatever it was, was the opening to a cave with ice lined walls._

"_Do you see that?" she asked in amazement as Snow came over to her. He set his hand against the wall next to her and leaned the side of his body against it._

"_It's amazing, isn't it," he stated, watching her reaction. She nodded slowly as she continued to gaze at the scenery._

_Sazh patted them both on the shoulder. They turned and looked at him curiously._

"_We should keep going. It'll be getting dark in about an hour or so," he announced. Lightning nodded. _

"_Good idea," she agreed, pushing away from the wall. She peered over at Sera and motioned for her to follow them. _

_The girl groaned and stood up, dragging her feet after them. Lightning's gaze was straight ahead again, concentrated just like before. Her hip was still aching from the Behemoth battle earlier, and she doubted that all of this was helping her any. She was going to regret all of this later._

_As they traveled downhill, Snow and Sazh each exchanged a look, then ran ahead laughing, then dropped onto their backsides and slid the rest of the way down the hill. Snow's weight and height sped him up, while Sazh tried desperately to avoid hitting the many boulders in his way. Lightning and Sera walked and climbed down the steep, snowy hill. This seemed to be Snow's place, she assumed, noting how he loved to slosh the white powder all around them._

_As Snow hit the bottom of the tall, steep hill, he jumped up and threw his arms up into the air. He smiled triumphantly and cracked his knuckles, then leaned backwards, popping his back. Three loud, disturbing snaps echoed throughout the semi-silent air around them. Sera grimaced as the sound reached her ears as her and Lightning arrived where Snow and Sazh had stopped their sledding._

"_The only reason you won was because you weigh more than me," Sazh complained in a joking fashion. Snow flashed a mischievous smile. _

"_Or maybe I cheated," he suggested. He walked away, still chuckling to himself as Sazh pondered his meaning. The man with the afro's face beamed as a thought entered him._

"_Wait, did you cheat?" he called, running after him. Sera giggled as she watched the two men run around like children._

"_They haven't grown up, have they," she mentioned to Lightning. There was no answer, and she looked to her side at the silent woman. She was watching them, but her mind was far off. Probably with the crystal again. She elbowed her, pulling her out of her thoughts. She peered at the girl and half smiled. _

"_What?"_

_Sera smiled and shook her head. Lightning tilted her head to the side as she watched the girl group her words. "You get a little more distant the closer we get to the thing. When are you going to just let loose and spend what time you have left having fun?" she asked. Lightning looked forward again. She didn't know how to respond to that, but however she did, she was sure that Sera wouldn't understand._

"_Sera, I…" she started, but paused. The girl was already pained by the expression that was in her voice. "…I'm not sure if I'll be seeing you anymore, and any time I spend with the three of you other than what I have to is just going to make that even more painful." She said it composed, but inside she was hurting too. She was a younger sister to her: she got on her nerves a lot, but no matter what, she wanted to be there to watch her grow and keep her safe._

"_I understand," Sera said. Lightning, confused, looked over at her. She was impossibly controlled. Her face was serene, her eyes still watching Snow and Sazh. "I mean, it would probably be better for all of us that way, wouldn't it?"_

_It took Lightning a second to answer, to snap out of her surprise. It went along way better than she thought it would. "Yeah, I guess." That was all she __could_ say.

Snow was tackled into the ground by Sazh, whose afro was white with the frozen water. Lightning went over to them and grabbed the back of both their shirts, pulling them up. "We need to hurry. The sun will be down in about an hour."

Sazh shook out his hair, the chocobo hanging on desperately to the strands. Snow swiped all of the snow off his jacket, watching the multiple flakes drop down into a small pile at his feet.

Lightning, not giving them another passing glance, started for the ruins again. It was only then that she realized how close they really were. It was only going to take them a maximum of ten more minutes to reach the ruins, or whatever they were.

As she had assumed, within ten minutes they had arrived at the place intended. It wasn't ruins. Not even close. There were tons of sharp ice spikes sticking out of the frosted ground, and walls of ice created a maze to the object in question. The machine she'd seen from the hilltop sat hundreds of feet away from them, stuck in the ground as it leaned against the rock wall that had been iced over.

As Lightning examined their surroundings further, she noticed that the ground wasn't ground at all. She tilted her head and knelt down on her knees. She ran her fingers along the smooth, blue glass of ice. Her face crumpled in confusion. She slammed her fist against the ice. A soft, hollow echo came from the contact and she stood up. Her eyes scanned the walls as she figured out what they really were. They were waves, frozen in place after a fierce storm. Each wave was going in different directions, hinting at the storm part of her theory. Snow, Sazh, and Sera looked over at her as she sighed.

"It's frozen water," she informed them. They all glanced down at the ground. Snow stomped on it hard, causing Sera and Sazh to throw a fit.

"Hey, watch it!" Sazh exclaimed. "If you break the ice, everyone is going to fall in. And the ice will freeze over the top layer of the water, thus we'll drown."

Sera clung to Snow's arm as the thought clung to the inside of her mind. "I'm not that fond of drowning," she said. Snow patted her on the top of the head.

"You won't drown," he assured her.

Lightning stared at the machine. It was very old indeed. There was a little bit of rust covering the sides. She got the hint that it was an ancient weapon of some sort, maybe used against Cocoon during a battle, or perhaps it was used against Pulse. She really didn't know.

As she stared, a faint purple light glowed in further on in the waves. She squinted to get a better look at it. She sighed as her view didn't get any better. "I'll be back. I just need to check something out," she told her friends, then started walking away, toward the purple light.

Snow and Sera exchanged a glance, then followed after her.

Sazh watched them leave, then looked down. He turned toward a small crevice in the wall and headed toward it, sighing as he said goodbye to his friends in his head.

Lightning began to sprint toward the light, excitement escalating inside of her as she recognized why it was so familiar. The light from her dream. The crystal was there, and she intended to reach it, to remember.

"Lightning, wait!" Snow's voice echoed through the empty space. She slowed to a walk and looked back at him. Next to him was Sera, just as excited as Snow looked.

"What are you doing here?" Lightning asked them. She was a little irritated, but she couldn't blame them for sticking with her, especially after what they'd all been through together.

Sera smiled. "We thought maybe you'd want someone there when you remember everything," she answered. Snow nodded and patted his old friend on the back. Lightning fell forward, her knees buckling under her. She fell onto the ground and eyed him fiercely as he smiled even wider.

She stood up and wiped off her knees. "Just stay out of my way, alright?" she said, turning back to the direction of the light. She started walking again, and she felt more secure with her friends there. If anything went wrong, they'd take care of it together.

The light intensified as they closed in on it. The group, as if a joined instinct, all shielded their eyes. They weren't very far away now, and the closer they got, Lightning could tell that it was a cave in the cliff side. She kept her eyes squinted as she and her companions continued to make their way across the frozen ocean waves. Their steps were soft, though they knew the ice was too thick to break simply by walking.

The three stopped in front of the cave entrance, letting their hands drop. The light faded tremendously. They looked at each other and Lightning shrugged. She turned to the cave again and took a deep breath. She lifted her foot and stepped further into the cave, her footsteps echoing in the hollow entrance. She could hear Snow and Sera following her and she immediately thought about Sazh. He wasn't there. She wondered what happened, but they couldn't go back. Not now that they were this far.

The air inside was chilly, but better than outside. There was no freezing wind to deal with. Sera let out a content sigh and dropped her arms to her sides. Snow was quiet. He had been since they arrived at the glaciers, she realized. Something was wrong with him. Now wasn't the time to ask about it.

Lightning examined the interior of the cave. The walls were frosted, but not frozen. She could still see the brown rock underneath the cold sheet. The floor was one of dirt only, a few rocks scattered here and there. There wasn't anything all that interesting about it.

"Hey, are you sure this is the right place?" Sera asked, kicking at the ground. "There's nothing here. And not to be rude, but this place is really ugly if the crystal is located in here."

Lightning shook her head. "You're the one who said that the crystal was somewhere in either of the ruins. And it wasn't in the ruins to the south."

Sera shrugged. "Then again, these aren't really even ruins…"

Annoyed, Lightning turned to the girl. Her eyes were narrowed toward her. The irritation that she felt the first time she'd met her came back up to the surface. She was surprised that she could change feelings toward her companions so quickly and unexpectedly. "Are you saying that there is really no crystal? That this was all a wild goose chase?"

The girl took a step back. "No, no of course not!" she exclaimed. Her hands were up in front of her, waving around as if she thought Lightning were going to hit her. "I'm just saying that I didn't think the ruins were actually part of a frozen over ocean and a large machine."

Lightning scoffed and turned back around. She didn't even bother looking at Snow. He'd either be mad or surprised, and she didn't really care at the moment. She wanted to get to the crystal and get her memory back.

Their walking came to a stop at a dead end. In front of them was a rock wall, a solid rock wall that led no where. Lightning clenched her fists. Snow and Sera stared at the wall, looking around for another way out. Finding none, their eyes settled on Lightning, whose fists and jaw were clamped tight. Her body was shaking slightly with the raging anger inside of her.

Snow sighed and went up behind her. He put his hands on her shoulders. "Relax, Lightning. I'm sure there's some way around this."

She spun around, knocking his hands off her. "Another way around this? There's no way around this. It's a dead end, Snow!" she yelled. He stayed put, calm written across his face. Or maybe it was hidden pain from the inside. She didn't really care.

"Sometimes there's more to something than you can see," he said, and she stopped fuming. Her eyes scanned his face. She knew he meant something different, but it got her thinking. Something more than you can see…

She turned back to the wall and pressed her hands against it. They felt along the wall, up and down, left and right. It was entirely smooth. She tilted her head and knelt down closer to the ground. Her eyes fell on a rock. She smirked. It was half into the wall, and half out of it. "More than you can see," she said, kicking the rock.

Snow and Sera exchanged a glance. The girl shrugged.

Lightning stepped back as a loud vibrating rocked the cave. Sera looked up at the roof, fear plastered heavily on her soft features. Snow put his hand on the girls shoulder and nodded. She, too, nodded in acknowledgement and relaxed. Her muscles were still tensed, but the rest of her was calmed.

Lightning watched as the wall crumbled away, starting at the middle. The rock was eating itself away to the edges. As the rock wall became a large hole, the crumbling stopped. Sera's eyes widened in shock and admiration. The room on the inside was gorgeous, something she'd never imagined possible.

The wall were all shining crystals, all smooth, none jagged. There was little space to walk on around the circular room until all land dropped. In landless space was a complete drop off that could only lead to the center of the planet. The pit was pitch black. Hovering in the center of the room, high into the air, was a small ice island. It floated way above their heads. Coming from the island, Lightning noticed, was the purple light.

Confused, she stared. Her dream had shown a similar room. But in her dream, she realized, a bridge of either ice or crystal led her to the small island.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a stream of light. It came out from the island, swooping down to them. As it came down, in its path lay a crystal clear stairway, leading to a bridge high above them, which connected to the island.

Snow backed up. "Hey, Lightning, I don't like the looks of this," he stated. She ignored him, taking a step closer to the staircase. Snow's mind panicked. "Lightning, if that staircase disappears, you're dead!" he exclaimed. She lifted up her right hand, her index finger and thumb revealing the two gravity controlling buttons. He stayed silent, but his body continued to tense in anticipation.

The strawberry haired woman stepped onto the staircase, taking careful step after careful step. Her mind raced as she continued up the stairs. She didn't know what was waiting for her up there, but she would be prepared. If she had to fight, she'd just keep going until she couldn't fight anymore. Her feet moved like they had a mind of their own, her mind was disconnected from them.

She came to the top of the stairs, stepping onto the bridge. It wasn't as slick as it looked and she found herself quite easily walking on it to the island that hovered above the pit of death. She stared straight ahead. In her view was a glowing purple object. A smile played itself onto her lips. The crystal was waiting for her.


	21. Memoria

_Chapter 20_

She shielded her eyes as the light suddenly brightened. Her heart rate increased as the purple engulfed her. She felt the glow like a thick blanket around her, keeping her safe. She felt a sense of security, of personal happiness. Of course, the happiness could've just been her mind reacting to the fact that her memory would very soon be returned to her.

The intense light faded and she slowly removed her hand from her eyes. The room sized, floating crystal island was as beautiful as it looked from below. The ground was clear, made of crystal only, and she could see the black, bottomless pit below her. The pillars holding up the roof, also made of crystal, were carved into delicate, gorgeous swirls around a more simple crystal.

And in the middle was what she'd been looking for. The thing that she'd spent a week walking and fighting to find. In the middle, on a crystal banister, sat the crystal. The one that could help her out of this little error in her life.

Her eyes were wide with amazement as she took each slow step closer to the entity. She could see the aura inside of it moving around, acknowledging her presence. She stopped a few feet away, staring at the being in wonder. As she examined it, a purple beam shot up from the top of it. She quickly covered her eyes as the blinding light filled the empty space again. With the light came a soft, angelic humming.

She cautiously removed her hand and looked up at the beam. In its place, to her surprise, stood a purple creature. Its body was made of the purple light, translucent to the point that she could see through it just like the crystal itself. Its body was that of a human, simple and unique at the same time. It lifted one glowing hand in front of it, motioning for her to come closer.

Her feet stayed planted as she thought her actions through. This thing could do one of two things: One, it could help her without any problems. It could be gracious and wish to make her life better.

Or two: it could start a battle, in which case she'd have no chance at winning. There was no way that she could beat it with what she had. A sword, a gun, physical skills, none were any match for light. None could even hit.

The entity's eyes softened and its hand retracted. It held out the other hand and did the same thing with it, staring straight through her. Lightning tilted her head and took another step toward it. Within inches from the creature, she stopped, staring up at its face. It stared back down at her, its eyes just as soft as before. Their bright white color added emphasis to the kindness in its eyes. She wondered what exactly it was. Its body was the shape of a human, but its hair showed a hint of something else. Its hair was like a lions mane, flowing in every direction, waving back and forth as if there was some wind that she couldn't feel. The crystal entity was like an angel, a tender, caring creature that was prepared to save her even from herself. It slowly moved its hand closer to her face and she closed her eyes. She didn't know what to expect, but there was no way of stopping this beautiful, mind-boggling being.

Lightning flinched a little as its hand touched her face. Its hand paused there for a long while as it waited for her approval. She opened her eyes and stared into the deep eyes that had gotten closer while her eyes had been closed. Its hand was cold, like leaning against an iceberg, but strangely soothing. She closed her eyes as she felt the hand enter her mind. It was the sensation of sleep, but while awake. She was completely relaxed. Relaxed to the point that she thought she had actually fallen asleep. A light haze was invading her and she allowed it.

It was like having no problems in the world, like everything had been perfect all along. This haze reduced her stress level tremendously, reduced her worry and pain. Her thoughts were no longer on anything negative. In fact, they weren't on anything at all. She was subconsciously unconscious.

After a minute of the relaxation and perfect feeling that the haze had brought her, though, came the intensified side effect it had on her inside. Her mind overflowed with what seemed like a movie. Images of her past flooded in her head, filling her mind with answers to the questions that had been haunting her since the day she'd arrived on Pulse. Who was she? _Lightning, commander of the twenty second troop of Cocoon. _She really had done the things Sazh said she had. She really had been the best commander. She couldn't help but smile at the realization.

Had she really known Snow as a child? Yes, he was her best friend, before he had been banished, of course. She remembered that day all too well. She remembered the feeling of thinking nothing could ruin the day ahead. They were going to try out that car they'd been making from scratch. When she'd entered the garage though, everything changed. Military men and women were taking the car apart, bit by bit. She'd stood there, dumbfounded for a moment, then unleashed her fury on them. She yelled, she screamed, she threw things at them. One of the men had to go to her and hold her back as she frantically flailed around…

"_What are you doing!?" she demanded_. _"Me and Snow spent all summer building that!"_

_They all went quieter than before and Lightning felt a queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. One man in particular, one that she now knew to be the admiral, took off his helmet. He sighed and put a hand on her shoulder. Irritated, she shrugged him off, much like she'd do to many other people._

_The look on his face is what scared her the most, though. His eyes were full of pain for her, but it was a kind of pain he'd obviously had to deal with before. When he opened his mouth to speak, his voice was soft and calm, but there was a very urgent tone to his voice._

"_Lightning, right?" He asked her. She nodded, her narrowed eyes still stuck on him. "Your friend, Snow, was banished last night." That statement tore apart her heart. Her narrowed eyes became wide with shock. Her head shook back and forth in disbelief and the man holding her back released his grip. She fell to her knees and held her head in her hands. Her tears came out mercilessly. The future admiral knelt down beside her and patted her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Lightning."_

_She glared at him, standing up again. "You're sorry? You don't care about what happens to me, or my friends!" She lashed out at him, her hands launching up as her fingers scraped at his face. He grabbed her hands and pushed her back. His face was still soft, the one of someone who knew what she was dealing with._

"_Trust me, I do know what you're going through. I _do_ care about your friends," he said. Though she hated to admit it, and denied that she admitted it, the man seemed to be telling the truth. Her eyes stayed in their angry narrowed position, but she stopped attacking. The man sat down next to her, and motioned for her to do the same._

_Confused, Lightning sat down, scooting a few inches away_. _"I've lost many friends to Pulse over the years," he said, rubbing the palm of his hand_. _"I know how you feel, and I would like to help you out. If there is anything that I can do for you, let me know, alright? I'll help take care of you."_

_Lightning's eyes softened up a bit, but looked in the opposite direction as him. "Thanks, but I don't need your help. I've taken care of myself before."_

_The man nodded, standing up. His eyes were regretful, as if she'd answered him wrong. His hand rose, waving forward towards her. She tilted her head, but immediately knew what they were doing. The soldiers rushed forward and grabbed her by the arms, pulling her up from the ground. She yelled and pulled away, only to be held onto more firmly when the hand grabbed her again. She glared at the man ferociously._

"_I knew it! You're just like the rest of them!" she yelled as she thrashed about. The man simply stared, watching as they carried her away. "If I don't willingly join the military, you take us custody!" Her screams and yelling became more faded as they took her out the garage and into a secure car._

And most importantly, how had she arrived at Pulse?

Only one name seemed to fit that category. Roi. The memory of his betrayal came just as strongly as the others. She was reading off inspection to him, while he ignored her. She turned around to look at him, and was completely shocked as the side of a large pipe hit the temple of her head. As she had landed, the gate chunks ripped into her side, and he hit her again, knocking her out.

What was it that he had said, though? Something along the lines of "This isn't personal"?

Her anger seethed again, mixed with pain of betrayal, and sadness of being torn away from her home. She missed her room at the military headquarters, she missed her nice comfortable bed, the perfect temperature of the base.

She didn't miss Roi's pestering. She'd had dreams, she'd been distant. All of those she'd assumed were side effects of Snow being taken away from her. Their relationship had been strange back then. They'd both liked each other for the longest time, but neither of them had admitted it. She didn't think things could ever be like that again.

When she snapped out of her thoughts, her eyes were staring straight into the crystal entity's. It caught her off guard. Her legs automatically took a cautious step back. The creature straightened up and continued to stare at her expectantly. Lightning stood still as a pole. Her eyes narrowed as she awaited any suspicious movement from the creature. It stared at her more, watching her just the same way.

Lightning sighed and relaxed. She thought back to what Sera had said during their chat about the crystal. _"I also read that if someone were to make a deal with the crystal, then it would do a favor for that person." _

She looked the crystal in the eyes, searching. "What is it you want from me?" she asked. The crystal being's eyes curved up in a smile. It reached out its hand for her again, beckoning her closer.

Lightning's curiosity carried her forward again. When she stopped, the creatures hand didn't reach for her forehead again. It put its hands on her shoulders. She looked at the hands and stiffened.

"Lightning," an ominous voice echoed inside her head. Lightning's eyes widened and she quickly stared the creature in the eyes. "You have come very far to see me, and I am glad you did. I have been keeping my eye on you for quite some time now." Its voice was that of a man, soothing and calming. There was nothing threatening about it, but it left her a hint of anticipation. "I have been calling for you for a while now. Your dreams are a very successful way of communication."

The woman remembered her dreams the past month. The one that came up immediately, though, was the one in the glaciers. The battle from a long time ago. It was the battle that her commander had died in, with its twists. She knew, now, that the crystal had been waiting for a very long time.

She stared the creature in the eyes and nodded. "How can I repay you?"

It removed its hands and its eyes turned serious. Lightning's heart stopped when the look reached her. "Do you know about Cocoons real government issue?" The creature watched her response carefully. Lightning shook her head, her eyes still glued to the strange face. The creature turned and sat on the top of the pedestal that held its crystal. "The man in charge, Veran, has been seen as a kind, gentle man, correct? He's kept the city safe, he's protected the people living there. But he's not who everyone thinks he is."

Lightning's eyes only moved to the ground in disbelief. Veran had been so kind to her and the others. How could he have been any different?

"Did you ever wonder why he was always at the meetings, always there when he had other important business to attend to?" It asked her. "He was keeping his eyes on the higher ups." Lightning's shock increased. "A few days ago, the admiral was supposed to be promoted in Veran's place, and Roi in Nayl's. Veran, in front of both Roi and General Ava, shot and killed him." Lightning reached out for the pillar, holding herself up. Everything that she'd been led to believe was a lie. Everything that she wanted to protect wasn't worth protecting. She had wasted years of her life in something that was only deceiving others, only causing those under their control pain. "Cocoon is under a secret civil war."

The woman looked up at the crystal again, her eyes narrow and dark with fury. The shock had burned away under the intense heat of her anger. She wanted Veran to suffer for what he'd done. He deserved nothing more than to feel what his victims had felt.

"What can I do?" she asked, her pupils large and angry. "He can't get away with this."

The crystal's eyes turned up in a smile again.

**Down below…**

Snow and Sera watched the bright light, confused and awed at the same time. Lightning had gone up ten minutes ago, disappeared eight. They had been watching for her, but she never came down, then the light brightened again, unbearable this time.

Snow's heart rate increased as his mind came up with multiple possibilities to the situation. She could very well be dead, and he couldn't get up there. The stairs had disappeared slightly after Lightning did. Or she could be just fine, having a nice little chat with the crystal.

He shook his head. The latter wasn't possible. The crystal was a creature too. It had animal instincts, he was sure of that. Anything inhuman that he'd encountered was dangerous.

Sera tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, Snow?" she asked. He looked down at her and rose both eyebrows. She pointed up. "She's coming back."

His gaze shot up to the island. The light was dimmed now, and he could see Lightning's outline descending the stairs. He let out a sigh of relief as he noted that she was in one piece…and that the one piece was in good shape. She walked differently, he noticed. Her walk wasn't just that of a woman going somewhere, this was one of a woman who knew what to do, who knew that things were changed.

Her gaze met his. He shuddered as a moment of ice cold chills slid down his spine. Her stare wasn't the same. It was cold, heartless. It was much like her stares a week ago, only harsher. Her ice blue eyes were more icy than before, less translucent, hardened and shining. He couldn't see a thing in her gaze.

She pulled her gaze away from him as she stepped off the staircase. She looked straight out the room and into the cave. Her hand was resting on her sword. Sera tilted her head curiously and patted her on the shoulder. Lightning didn't budge, didn't flinch, didn't even blink. She was changed.

"Um, Lightning?" Sera asked. The woman didn't move, but her eyes switched quickly over to the girl. She jumped at the sudden response, but stayed her ground. "Are you okay?"

Lightning took a breath and started walking forward. Sera and Snow exchanged a thoughtful and concerned glance, then followed after her. The woman was ahead of them, and from behind, they could see the training as she traveled through the cave. She stepped carefully over each rock, but swiftly, with grace and accuracy in each step.

"No, Sera, I'm not okay," she finally answered. Sera's brow furrowed and she looked to the side at Snow, who was scratching his head. "In fact, no one is."


	22. Discovery

**((Okay, sorry it took me so long to get this typed up. I've loads to do. This chapter is a little shorter, and I'm not sure if the information is correct or not. This is off of English translations to a few pictures and a magazine article caption. Enjoy!!!))**

Chapter 21

Snow and Sera exchanged an equally confused and terrified glance. He could already notice a difference in his friend. Her walk was, as he'd previously observed, more commanding than her other. This difference was either very dangerous, or a gift to them all.

The small group exited into the familiar breeze of the cold, biting wind and the crunch of the frozen ocean underneath of them. His boots scuttled along the surface, kicking up clouds of tiny ice shards. Sera held her arms as she shivered in the cold air. Snow felt sorry for her. Her body was built up for the heat, and the cold was tearing her system down.

He turned his attention to his old friend again. "Lightning?" he called.

She paused, but didn't respond to his call. She locked onto the machine that stuck out of the frozen water's surface. She started walking toward it, her mind on only one track.

"Lightning," Snow called again, stepping in front of her as she stood in front of the ancient machine. She looked up into his eyes, her cold gaze freezing his movements momentarily. "What are we doing?"

She turned away from him, facing the opposite direction as Sera moved next to Snow. The girl held her hands in front of her, twiddling her fingers.

"It's my mission, and my mission alone," she stated, taking the time to examine the patterns in the ice.

Snow sighed. "We're going to help you out, and you know it. One way or another, we'll find a way to help."

Lightning let out a full breath of exasperation. She wanted to keep them safe, and no matter what she did, they refused to stay out of the way of danger. Her need for their safety seemed to dissipate as soon as she voiced it.

"Fine. Just follow me," she said, lifting her chin just a tad bit more than normal. Snow crossed his arms, then placed his hands on his hips. He took a note not to do that again.

"If we don't know our mission, there's no point."

Lightning's jaw clenched tight, and she fought hard not to grind her teeth. His persistence was getting rather old.

"Then don't come with me," she said, turning on her heel to face them and the machine again. "But one way or the other I'm going to be using this. So if you want to help me figure out what this thing can do, be my guest."

She walked past them and to the side of it. She began examining each small bit of it in extreme detail. Snow looked at Sera, who stared at the same spot she'd been staring at while Lightning rambled on. He patted her on the shoulder, then went to help Lightning out. Sera's body, as cold as it was, refused to move and warm up. She was stunned at the sudden turn of events in Lightning's life. One second she was happy to be around friends, and then as soon as she met the crystal, her happiness and care had left. She was harsh, she was commanding, and she was just like those that had sent her down to Pulse.

Ten minutes had soon passed, and Lightning and Snow stopped their examination. Snow scratched the top of his head where his black beanie sat. "What do you think this is? I can't tell if it's a base or a statue…" he thought out loud.

Lightning's eyes scanned the outer hull of the machine again. Her smooth, kind voice broke the silence.

"It's a weapon."

Snow met her gaze, his eyes asking for an explanation, his gaze begging for his friend back. She ignored his gaze, but answered his eyes.

"Do you see these clear tubes?" she asked, pointing with her index finger, running it along the item in question. "They're filled with lights. And then the metal that surrounds the machine is only used on heavy duty weaponry." She touched the metal with her gloveless fingers and lowered her voice to a whisper, almost talking to her herself. "Whoever made this must have known what would happen thousands of years from then."

"So what do we do with it?" Snow asked. "If you need to move it, I know some people back at the village that can get it into the open."

She glanced up at him, her eyes grateful. "Could they fix it? If we're going to do anything with it, we're going to need someone who's able to work on it."

"…I think it's already done," Sera stated. Lightning and Snow looked over at her. Lightning cleared her throat.

"What?" she asked, unable to comprehend why the girl had suggested such a thing.

Sera turned to them. "If we move it, then there's a strong chance that the power can still be turned on somehow. I mean, think about it, these things last for a really long time. It's an ancient machine, so it must work on some sort of ancient energy." She let them consider it for a moment, then continued. "They didn't have the kind of energy we do now to get things working. They had the sun, and the crystals."

"So…" Lightning thought out loud. "…one of the two possibilities can start it up again."

"Exactly."

Snow's brow furrowed. "So…I'll get the people to take it somewhere in the sun?"

Lightning shook her head. "Not yet. I'll go talk to the crystal about it first. If it doesn't know anything about it, then we'll do that."

She started walking back toward the waves that led to the cave. Snow and Sera looked at each other, then followed her at a slower pace.

"Lightning," Snow called. She paused and looked over her shoulder as he walked to her side. "What are we going to do with it even if we can get it started up again. We don't have any way of getting it to wherever we're going."

"I don't know. I guess we'll have to find a way," she answered.

She turned forward again and lifted her boot to step. A harsh voice interrupted her mid-step.

"Stop!" the voice yelled.

Both her and Snow turned to face the perpetrator. A small army of Cocoon militia stood with their guns ready. Men and women alike wore their armor of grays, browns, and yellows, guns aimed straight at her and Snow. With them stood multiple Bandersnatch, ready to pounce at their commanders will. A member of the crowd held Sera hostage.

Lightning's eyes narrowed as they stared at the two. She glanced at Snow, who nodded slowly.

"What're you two nodding for?" one of them asked, one of the uneducated ones, she guessed.

Out of nowhere, her and Snow burst into action, Snow pouncing on one of the nearest men, pounding at his face mask with his burly fists. He ripped off the mask and slammed his palm into the man's face, knocking him out in one last hit. He got up and started on another one.

Lightning, in one fluid movement, whipped her sword out of the sheath and jumped at her nearest enemy. She sliced at him quickly, taking him down in one hit. She rolled under a barrage of bullets and uppercut at the attacker. She stood and knelt as two men and a Bandersnatch formed a circle around her. Her brain whirled around inside her head, creating a whirlwind of battle strategy that she could work with.

She quickly slid to her right and swung at the military personnel, jamming her sword through him, then vaulted over the Bandersnatch to take out her last attacker. She caught a bullet in her calf as she jumped and crash landed on the other side of her enemy. The stabbing pain throbbed through her over and over again as she

The Bandersnatch grabbed her loose sword in it's mouth and pulled it away from her as she stood slowly. The man held his gun at her and motioned for backup. Three more guards came to his aid and stood at a distance with their guns pointed at her.

She looked forward and saw Snow in the same position she was in.

She slowly lifted her arms and put her hands behind her head, standing up straight and prideful. She tilted her head questioningly at Snow, who simply shrugged. In her right ear, she heard the click of the man's gun.

"You!" he yelled at her.

She kept her gaze on Snow, but listened as the man cleared his throat.

"Lightning, you are sentenced to death by order of the law of Cocoon," he stated. She moved her eyes to him.

"I'm sorry, but why are you worrying about me when I'm on Pulse?" she asked. "I don't live on Cocoon anymore, and I'm not under your law."

He lowered his gun a little, but quickly caught himself and rose it again. "I am under orders. I'm sorry, commander."

She smirked a little. "Well then. If I'm going to die, shouldn't you at least know my name?"

He paused and tilted his head. "You're not Lightning?" he asked.

Snow, too, watched her in confusion. She smiled a little.

"No, I'm Lightning, but that's not my birth name," she informed, a small smirk still playing her lips. "So, in that aspect, you can't eliminate me."

She looked at Snow again, watching his reaction to this discovery.

"My name is Concorde." she stated. Snow's eyes widened and she couldn't help but allow her smile to widen. "And your orders are not to sentence Concorde to death. They're to sentence Lightning to death."

He hesitated, then looked back at his teammates. They glanced at one another, unsure of what to do about the situation. She awaited their response, all the while staring right back at Snow, who furrowed his brow and tilted his head.

She removed her gaze and looked around…..

….and it was then that she realized Sera was no where to be found.

**((Haha, I've still got it. Cliffhanger!!! So, Concorde…if anyone has information on whether that's right or not, please let me know. I got it off of a caption of Lightning jumping while in combat, and the caption was a little confusing… sorry about the wait, again, but I hope that I made it worth while.))**


	23. Message to the FNC fans

Okay, just an update on what's going on here.

Fabula Nova Crystallis is kind of under some mental construction. After the forty minute leaked demo went onto Youtube, i realized that the entire story is backwards. The battle that i was waiting to introduce until the end of the story is actually at the very beginning.

i will keep typing this story, but once it's done, which is in about two or three chapters, i'm re-writing it. It WILL be different, just to let you know. There will still be that air of Snow and Lightning's relationship, but the story line is completely different. She will be trying to get her memory back, that's part of the game that everyone knows is supposed to happen. Sazh will be coming in earlier, due to his involvement in the very beginning of the game.

I've found english translations for the half of the demo that involves Lightning and Sazh, so that should make it easier.

Thank you all for sticking with me through this entire story. It's great to have people that are willing to read your stuff and comment on it. It's even better to have made some friends during this process. Love you all, and once FNC is done, just remember that this isn't the end of FFXIII fan fic. :)

Hope to see you all at the end and in the new story. :)

Skye

XOXO


	24. Apology and Update :

**Hello fans of Fabula Nova Crystallis! Sorry it's been SOOOOOOO long since the last update... and sorry to say that there will be no more updates on this version. Before I get to that though, let me explain why I haven't been on for so long...**

**So many things happened over the year or however long it's been since I last got on. I moved out of my mom's house and my parents got a divorce. I spent the past year trying SOOOOO hard to beat Final Fantasy XIII that I was sidetracked from everything else... and I FINALLY beat the game like the middle of January... . Yea, I'm lame...**

**Anyway. To the story. I'm re-writing it. :D So there WILL be something coming along the way! I plan on making it NOT about the game or the sequel or anything like that. I don't want to end up not proud of it because the plot line doesn't go around that way. So instead, I'm going to use points in my previous storyline for the events after XIII :D**

**I understand I got Serah and Vanille mixed together. I read on the internet LOOOOONG ago that Vanille's name was going to be Serah, and that's when I fudged up and stopped writing, when I knew I'd gotten names wrong. And yes, I realize that Lightning's real name is NOT Concorde. I just needed something for that moment. I needed a cliffhanger, and I found that. Stupid rumors... Claire sounds MUCH better :D Concorde just reminds me of a vulture and a plane mixed in one... THERE'S A NEW MONSTER FOR YA SQUARE ENIX! :D jk**

**Anyway... I'll be finishing up the first chapter within the week :D Hope to get some of you people back! I have plenty of time on my hands, so yeah :) Be expecting a lot over this next year :)**

**Love you all! And thank you SOO much for sticking around!**

**Skye **

**xoxo**


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